Two Panthers scored in double figures to lead Montezuma-Cortez High School to a 61-54 win over Bloomfield (N.M.) in boys basketball action Thursday night.
M-CHS (8-2) opened 2012 with a win at the Aztec (N.M) tournament, thanks in large part to a strong second quarter. The Panthers out-scored the Bobcats (3-7) 18-7 in the second after trailing 13-12 at the end of the first quarter. M-CHS did not trail again.
It was nice. It was big for us after the (Christmas) break, said Panthers coach Eric White about the win. We didnt play very good in the first quarter. But the second quarter, we did some of the stuff we were working on and things went well for us. It was big for the kids to be able to keep winning on the road, too.
Leading scorer Jay Rainer, a senior, scored 19 points for M-CHS, while junior reserve point guard Alex Lopez added a season high of 17. Lopez shot 5-of-7 from the field, including 3-for-4 from downtown.
He played really well, took care of the ball. Hes been shooting the ball pretty well all year, White said about Lopez. It was nice to see him make all those 3s. It definitely gave us a big boost.
Senior Destry Smith nearly notched a double-double with nine points and 11 rebounds.
The battle of Panthers tipped off Friday night in Aztec between M-CHS and Piedra Vista (Farmington, N.M.). Results werent available at press time.
M-CHS continues tournament play in Aztec today.
The nonconference portion of the schedule wraps up Tuesday, Jan. 10, when M-CHS hosts San Juan (Blanding, Utah) at 7 :30 p.m.