Since the start of the season, the Montezuma-Cortez High School girls basketball team has had its sights set on qualifying for a Regional Tournament.
Playing on the road against Monte Vista on Feb. 24, the Lady Panthers took a step towards making an appearance at Regionals happen with a 39-35 win in the pigtail game of the Class 3A Intermountain League District Tournament.
Entering the game as the Tournament’s fifth seed, M-CHS started slow against fourth-seeded Monte Vista and trailed 12-7 at the end of the first quarter.
Monte Vista, which defeated M-CHS in the first two games between the teams this season, stretched its lead to 19-12 entering halftime.
“We got off the bus and we were slow,” M-CHS head coach John McHenry said. “There wasn’t much going on in the first quarter and neither team could score. We missed a lot of easy buckets underneath and their press got to us a little bit.”
M-CHS caught fire in the third quarter however, and after two layups and a three-pointer by junior guard Kiselya Plewe, the Lady Panthers trailed 25-21 entering the fourth.
“Kiselya Plewe played great defense,” said McHenry. “She swiped them for a couple of buckets and she hit a three that got our momentum going heading into the fourth.”
After M-CHS pulled to within one point midway through the fourth quarter, Monte Vista attempted to stall with roughly four minutes left in the game.
M-CHS stole the ball however, and senior Nicole Demby drilled a three-pointer on the ensuing possession to put the Lady Panthers ahead by two points.
Over the ensuing three minutes, Monte Vista fouled senior forward Naomi Pinnecoose several times. The senior knocked down four of five free throws to seal the game.
Plewe led the Lady Panthers in scoring with 12 points and Demby chipped in 10.
With its record now at 8-11 on the season, M-CHS will play on the road against top-seeded Pagosa Springs on Feb. 26.
If the Lady Panthers win, they would play for the District Championship on Feb. 28 and if they lose, they would play in Pagosa for third place on Feb. 28. The top-three teams at the District Tournament advance to Regionals.
“Knowing what Pagosa is, we know we would have to play out of our minds and Pagosa would have to trip a little bit,” said McHenry. “If we want to move on to Regionals, we’re going to have to handle the press and win at least one more game.”