MANCOS – There’s a heavy dose of respect between the Bluejays and Bears on the hardwood, but that doesn’t make the rivalry any less fierce.
On their own Senior Night, the Mancos girls honored both the Dolores seniors and their own after their hard-fought battle on the court – a 41-20 victory on Friday night for the Bluejays to close out the regular season.
The teams shared plenty of embraces and tears following another season of Bluejays-Bears clashes, but for the 12th straight time on the hardwood in the girls basketball duel, Mancos would claim the spoils.
Since CHSAA abandoned the district tournaments this year in lieu of taking the top 32 teams from each classification in the CHSAA Seeding and Selection Index for the state postseason, both teams entered the night knowing that this would be their final season game, which brought the intensity and emotion of a championship game.
A gritty Mancos defense never relented, making life difficult around the rim for the Bears offense, while strong second and third quarters propelled the hosts to victory.
For Mancos first-year head coach Julie Oliver, the win served as a worthy endpoint to a season filled with tremendous growth for her Jays.
“It’s taken some time, but they’ve learned how to play as a team,” said Oliver after the win, “I commended them for the way they’ve jelled on the court.”
Seniors Randi Lewis and Teagan Archer played their final high school basketball games, while Mancos developed a strong nucleus for the ongoing growth of the program.
It was Lewis’ pair of three-pointers in the late stages of the first quarter – her only points of the game – that broke a 3-all tie and sent the Bluejays on a sustained run.
Bluejays freshman Tinsley Aspromonte showcased her touch from inside 12-feet, knocking down bucket after bucket in a stretch that built the Bluejays lead to 20-9 at the half.
In the second half, Mancos (7-13, 6-6 SJBL) stretched the lead above 20 in the third quarter thanks to a strong run from junior Caylee Moore, who finished with 10 points while controlling action around the rim.
Dolores (7-16, 4-8 SJBL) climbed with 14 in the fourth quarter when senior Savannah Stiegelmeyer and junior Taylor Erautt piled up consecutive baskets, but the Bears couldn’t get any closer.
Junior Tyla Henry scored four points and classmate Destiny Kramer added a bucket to complement Aspromonte’s game-high 19 points to help the Jays sweep the Colorado Highway 184 season series.
“Every one of our girls contributed to bringing the energy that we needed to build our confidence this season,” added Oliver, “they weren’t used to my coaching style, a whole new offense – but they embraced that challenge.”
Erautt scored 11 points to pace the Bears while Stiegelmeyer added five points and freshman Gracie Wilden chipped in with four.
All nine varsity players saw action in one of the Bluejays most comprehensive performances of the season, while a boisterous home crowd celebrated their season finale in style. “The community boosts the girls – it feels good for them to have that support,” said Oliver, as the Jays left the court with all smiles in their curtain call.
