Opening its season at the Cedaredge-Delta Tournament, Dec. 4-6, the Montezuma-Cortez High School girls basketball team finished 1-2.
Kicking off the tournament against Cedaredge on Dec. 4, the Panthers struggled to break their opponents’ full-court press and lost 57-20.
“They came out in a press and just got to us right away,” said M-CHS head coach John McHenry. “We had too many turnovers, but it gave us a taste of what (Class 3A) basketball is going to be like.”
Next matching up against Delta on Dec. 5, the Panthers lost again, this time by a score of 47-23. McHenry said that an inability to deal with full-court pressure doomed his team.
“We held our own in the half-court set, but we didn’t’ handle their press,” said McHenry. “(Breaking the press) is going to be our focus from now on.”
Playing their final game of the tournament against Hotchkiss on Dec. 6, the Panthers won 39-28 to notch their first win of the season.
McHenry said that several players contributed to the victory, including Katrina Lee, who scored six points off the bench.
“(Lee) hit two big threes and that gave us some cushion,” said McHenry.
Next up for the Panthers will be a home game against Monticello on Dec. 12. The game is scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m.