Competing at the Cedaredge-Delta Tournament in Delta, Dec. 4-6, the Montezuma-Cortez High School boys basketball team defeated Cedaredge, Delta and Hotchkiss. With the wins, the Panthers improved to 3-0 for the first time since the 2011-12 season.
Parker keys win over Cedaredge
Opening the tournament against Cedaredge on Dec. 4, M-CHS notched a 59-43 victory.
Starting slowly in their first game under head coach Michael Hall, the Panthers found themselves trailing 10-9 at the end of the first quarter. Thanks to a suffocating half-court press, M-CHS seized control in the second quarter and pulled ahead 35-21 by halftime.
“We were a little nervous coming out at the start,” said Hall. “It was the first game for the boys and myself. Once we went into a half-court trap, we took control of the game.”
Leading the way for the Panthers was junior Walter Parker, who hit all 10 of his free throws in route to 14 total points.
Engel’s threes big in win over Delta
Facing off against Delta on Dec. 5, M-CHS won for the second consecutive time, this time by a score of 63-54.
According to Hall, foul trouble plagued the Panthers throughout the game, forcing the team to resort to several second-string and third-string players. Among those players was freshman Jason Engel, who hit two key shots in his first varsity minutes.
“(Engel) came in and knocked down a three right off the bat,” said Hall. “A couple of possessions later, he knocked down a three, got fouled and hit the free throw. It was nice to have a freshman come in and perform.”
Wilson leads Panthers to title
Matching up against Hotchkiss on Dec. 6, M-CHS held on for a 59-56 victory.
Senior guard Taylor Wilson led the Panthers with 20 points and according to Hall, sophomore Seth Long played several key minutes off the bench.
“Hotchkiss has a real big kid, and our big guys got into foul trouble early,” said Hall. “I had to play Seth Long a lot more minutes than normal, and he held his own against that big kid.”
With an undefeated opening weekend under their belts, the Panthers will travel to Page, Ariz., to compete in the Page Tournament, which will take place Dec. 11-13.
“Right now, we have to work on our rebounding and we have to stay out of foul trouble,” said Hall. “The state came out with a new hand-checking rule and that’s killing us right now.”