Coming off three straight losses, the Mancos High School girls basketball team travelled to Telluride on Feb. 13 in need of a win. After four tough quarters, the Lady Jays walked away with a 39-24 victory.
"It was not a very pretty game," said Mancos head coach Mallory Morgan. "We had a slow first half and it took us a little bit to get going. We were able to pull through."
Mancos led 8-1 at the end of the first quarter and 18-6 at halftime. A strong third quarter by Telluride cut the Lady Jays lead to 23-18, but Mancos pulled away in the fourth to secure the victory.
Sophomore forward Nicole Hess led Mancos with 14 points and junior guard Jessica Gutierrez scored 12. Senior center Andi Paschal added eight.
"Nicole is slowly figuring it out," said Morgan. She's only a sophomore and I sometimes forget that she is so young. We moved her from guard to post this year and she has made the transition well."
With their record now at 6-10 on the season, the Lady Jays will prepare to face Dolores at home on Feb. 20 and Ouray at home on Feb. 21.
"Our goal is to play our game and that's something that we've struggled with a little bit this season," Morgan said. "We sometimes get worried about what the other team is doing. If we can play all four quarters this weekend, we'll be just fine."