After winning six of its first seven games, the Mancos High School basketball team has had trouble finding consistency and lost three of its past four San Juan Basin League games.
The latest setback came in Telluride on Jan. 20 when Mancos squandered a five-point fourth-quarter lead and lost in overtime, 50-45. The Bluejays trailed 16-10 at the end of the first quarter before regaining their composure and pulling ahead 29-28 at halftime.
Mancos stretched its lead to 37-32 heading into the fourth quarter before Telluride went on an 18-8 rally in the final 13 minutes for the win.
Sophomore Caden Showalter led the Bluejays in scoring with 15 points, Caleb Yoder chipped in 10, and Hunter Hoover scored eight. Telluride was by senior Reed Schacht, who scored a game-high 20 points.
Prior to its loss to Telluride, Mancos traveled to Ridgway on Jan. 19 and came away with an impressive 39-28 victory. The Bluejays controlled the game start to finish as they built a 10-2 first-quarter lead that grew to 29-16 heading into the fourth quarter.
Showalter led the Bluejays with 14 points, and Yoder registered 12. Sophomore Anthony Medina sparked Mancos off the bench with 5 points, and Robert Beserra scored 7 to lead Ridgway.
Now 7-4 on the season and 2-3 in the San Juan Basin League, the Bluejays will return home for a league matchup against Norwood on Jan. 26, and a road game in Ouray on Jan. 17.
