Playing in a Class 2A Regional Tournament for the first time in several years, the Mancos High School girls basketball team was somewhat unsure of what to expect.
After playing well throughout a 74-60 opening-round loss to Soroco in Grand Junction on March 6 however, the Lady Jays left no doubt that their postseason run was no fluke.
"We went up there and proved that we deserved to be there," said Mancos head coach Mallory Morgan.
Mancos trailed 18-14 at the end of the first quarter and 36-32 at halftime. Soroco outscored the Lady Jays 38-28 in the second half.
"We matched up really well with (Soroco)," said Morgan. "They had some big bodies though, and we got in foul trouble, and that's when they made their run."
Junior point guard Jessica Gutierrez drilled four three-point field goals and scored a team-high 22 points. Senior shooting guard Taylor Goff added 13 points, sophomore forward Nicole Hess added 12 points and senior center Andi Paschal scored 10.
"Our starters played well. They just needed more help from the bench," Morgan said. "Jessica played her little heart out and I couldn't have asked for more."
The Lady Jays finished their year with a 9-12 record overall.
Although the team will lose Goff and Paschal to graduation, several key players will return to form a team that Morgan expects to be competitive.
"Having so many players coming back is always a plus and I have four or five freshman coming in, which is always a positive," Morgan said.
