Fifteen minutes before tipoff at Montezuma-Cortez High School on Dec. 20, the stands were packed, and the atmosphere was electric.
Fans clad in blue and white roared their approval as the Mancos High School boys basketball team took the court, and moments later, cheers rained down from the Panthers faithful as M-CHS players raced onto the floor.
The excitement was palpable, and the entertainment level was high as both teams produced several memorable highlights throughout a game that was described by coaches from both teams as intense.
While Mancos certainly had its moments, the depth of M-CHS ultimately made the difference as the Class 3A Panthers outmuscled and outgunned the Class 2A Bluejays on their way to a 66-44 victory.
“It was an emotional game,” said Panthers head coach Michael Hall. “It was loud in there, and it was a fun atmosphere. The boys kept their composure and played through that emotion. The pace was good, and the tempo was at our tempo.”
Among the keys to M-CHS’ victory was the team’s high-pressure defense, which relied on trapping along the wings and forced Mancos players into several turnovers that in turn led to fast-break points.
Up 16-9 late in the first quarter, the Panthers stole the ball on three consecutive Mancos possessions, and after two free throws by Whiteskunk and two fast-break layups by senior Michael Diaz, M-CHS extended its lead to 22-9.
“We have to play up-tempo,” said Hall. “We have kids like Cordell Baer and James Jorgensen who can come in and rebound the ball. It’s fun to have guards who can push it, and three big kids who can do something with it when it comes down the floor.”
While the first quarter was defined by M-CHS’ pace, the first four minutes of the second quarter were all about Mancos senior Vassar Stephens and Mancos freshman Connor Showalter, who combined to get their team back into the game.
Stephens began the Bluejays scoring with a fast-break layup and a left-handed tip-in to cut the Panthers’ lead to 25-13. Connor Showalter then ignited his team’s fans with two long 3-pointers, the second of which cut the M-CHS’ lead to 27-21.
“I think my shots came because of our offense,” Connor Showalter said. “We were able to pitch it into the middle, and the defense collapsed, and we were able to get those wide-open threes.”
A timeout by Hall and defensive adjustments by M-CHS kept Showalter and Stephens in check, and after an offensive burst, the Panthers led 36-24 at halftime.
Coming out of the halftime break, M-CHS continued to dominate as forward Cordell Baer controlled the paint and pulled offensive boards from Mancos players. Overall, the senior scored 13 points in the contest, and after the game, he spoke about his performance.
“Physicality gets you a long way in basketball, and I think that people that play football kind of understand that,” Baer said. “You just have to be physical, and you have to be able to get up in another guy’s face and want the ball more than him.”
Although the third quarter ended with M-CHS leading 51-39, things could have been worse for the Bluejays if not for a 11-6 run to close the quarter.
It began with a rim-rattling dunk by Stephens that will not soon be forgotten. The slam was set up after the Mancos senior received a pass and drove along the left baseline before rising above M-CHS junior Titus Young and throwing the ball through the rim with his right hand.
In spite of the memorable play, Mancos was unable to claw its way back into the game. After the final buzzer sounded, Bluejays head coach Elijah Knepper attributed his team’s defeat to inconsistency.
“I think all year, our biggest thing has been trying to put together a complete game,” the Mancos coach said. “I think that 16 out of the 32 minutes, we played pretty well. Sixteen out of the 32 minutes, we played pretty poorly.”
After a relatively uneventful fourth quarter that began with an M-CHS run and ended with bench players from both teams on the floor, the final buzzer sounded and players from both teams exchanged handshakes and high-fives.
High scorers for Mancos included Stephens with 18 points and Connor Showalter and Hunter Hoover, with 6 each. Whiteskunk led M-CHS with 25, Diaz had 10, and Adrian Mark had 8.
Now 4-4 on the season, Mancos will prepare for a road matchup against Norwood on Jan. 11. M-CHS enters the break at 6-0 and will play Ignacio in the Southwest Classic Tournament in Cortez, Jan. 4-5.
“We’re going to focus on our trapping defense,” said Hall, when asked about his team’s plans for the holidays. “I feel like we’re a little slow in it. We’re giving up too many points.”