With the exception of a six-minute stretch during the third quarter, the Montezuma-Cortez High School girls basketball team’s offense was inept during the team’s 43-19 loss to Durango on Jan. 23.
The Lady Panthers also struggled on the defensive end largely as a result of Durango’s Hilda Garcia, who drained five three-pointers in the contest and scored a game-high 19 points. Garcia’s second quarter was especially impressive as the senior drained three 3-pointers to help her team build a 22-4 halftime lead.
“It was a good effort, and it was a great game, but we just didn’t contain (Hilda Garcia),” M-CHS head coach John McHenry said. “She rang us up for five or six threes, and she’s a great driver.”
Among the few highlights for M-CHS in the lopsided contest was the shooting of Presley Frost, who caught fire in the second half and drilled three 3-pointers much to the dismay of Durango head coach Tim Fitzpatrick, who implored his team to cover the hot shooter.
The first of Frost’s bombs came early in the third quarter to cut Durango’s lead to 22-7, and the second came moments later when the sophomore connected from the right wing to cut Durango’s lead to 25-10. Frost sank her final 3-point shot midway through the fourth quarter.
“The team was passing to me in the right moments,” Frost said. “I saw the open shots, and I took them. I hit the most (3-pointers) that I’ve ever hit in a game.”
Aside from Frost’s hot shooting, M-CHS struggled offensively as the team registered one point in the first quarter, three points in the second quarter, and four points in the fourth quarter.
The Lady Panthers’ inability to score points was also the product of Durango’s full-court press as ball handlers consistently found themselves trapped along the sideline with no easy outlets. Thanks in large part to its numerous turnovers, M-CHS trailed 11-1 at the end of the first quarter, 22-4 at halftime, and 34-14 at the end of three quarters of play.
“We just have to calm down and hit some key passes and not try to force things,” McHenry said. “In situations (where we face a full court press), we need to believe in our press break and be where we are supposed to be.”
High scorers for M-CHS included Frost, who finished the game with nine points, and sophomore Malia Begay, who chipped in three. Maddy McManus scored nine points for Durango and Danielle Lee and Emma Fitzgerald each scored four.
Now 2-11 on the season, the Lady Panthers will look to increase their win total this weekend when they face off against Bayfield on Jan. 26 and Alamosa on Jan. 27. Both games will take place in Cortez.
