After consecutive losses at the hands of Ridgway and Ignacio, the Mancos High School boys basketball team was desperate to right the ship.
That desperation showed as the Bluejays crushed their opposition last weekend, beating Nucla 76-28 and Dolores 81-52.
Bluejays cruise past Nucla
Playing an overmatched Nucla team on Feb. 21, the Bluejays had little difficulty, dominating their San Juan Basin League opponents during a 76-28 blowout.
After pulling ahead 15-8 after the first quarter, the Bluejays turned on the jets in the second frame, outscoring Nucla 32-5 to take a 47-13 by halftime.
Continuing to pour it on in the third quarter, the Bluejays expanded their advantage to 71-19 entering the fourth quarter before cruising to victory.
Leading a balanced Mancos scoring attack was junior Daniel Christensen, who scored 15 points.
Sophomore Ro Paschal contributed 13 points and senior Bryan Jaime contributed 10 points in the win.
Bluejays crush Dolores
Looking to continue their winning ways against Dolores on Feb. 22, the Mancos Bluejays hit the road eager to face off against the Bears.
Completely overpowering their rivals, the Bluejays sprinted to a relatively easy 81-52 win.
Key to the Bluejays victory was a spectacular first half that saw the Bluejays build a 53-18 advantage.
Although the Bears managed to close the gap slightly during the second half, the game was never in doubt.
Leading scorers for the Bluejays included Christiansen (14 points), junior Brandon Hood (13 points) and junior Nigel Henry (13 points).
With the win, the Bluejays concluded their regular season with a 13-6 record and hopes of advancing through the postseason.