After a season in which the Montezuma-Cortez High School boys basketball team won districts and regionals and qualified for the Class 3A State Tournament, three of its players were selected to the Intermountain League’s all-conference team.
Among the Panthers’ players honored was shooting-guard Teagan Whiteskunk, whose smooth shooting stroke, slick ball handling and innate passing ability made him one of the toughest players to guard in the Intermountain League.
Over the course of the 2018-19 season, the junior averaged 17.3 points per game, 4.7 rebounds per game and 4.1 assists per game and emerged as a team leader on and off the court.
Whiteskunk’s most impressive performance of the season came against Ridgway on Dec. 8 when he scored 43 points and broke M-CHS’s single-game scoring record, which had been held by Davin Bond since 1982.
“Teagan was the best offensive player in the league,” Panthers head coach Michael Hall said. “He was a good team player and he knew when it was time to score. When he was getting double-teamed, he was really good at getting rid of the ball and finding open teammates.”
Utilizing a combination of brute strength, above-average athleticism and a never-quit attitude, M-CHS senior Cordell Baer made the most of his final season of high school basketball and received 1st team all-conference recognition. Baer was also named all-state honorable mention.
While Baer’s season averages of 12.2 points per game and 11.3 rebounds per game certainly stood out, the senior’s ability to hustle for loose balls and perform in the clutch defined his season and earned the respect of fans and opponents alike.
Baer’s top offensive performance of the season came when he scored 20 points and pulled down 14 rebounds during his team’s 82-70 victory over Monte Vista on Feb. 20 in the opening round of the Class 2A Intermountain League District Tournament.
“Cordell is going to be hard to replace,” Hall said. “He was the leader of the team and he led by example. He was always in there rebounding, doing the dirty work and scoring quite a bit.”
After missing his sophomore season with an injury, M-CHS junior Titus Jackson returned to the court with vengeance and established himself as a force while earning all-conference honorable mention honors.
In addition to averaging 11.8 points per game and 5.1 rebounds per game over the course of the season, Jackson established himself as a top-flight defender whose hustle and high-flying style consistently energized teammates and fans.
While several of Jackson’s individual performances over the course of the season stood out, his most impressive may have come against Monte Vista on Feb. 20 when he scored a season-high 26 points while shooting 11-12 from the field.
“I liked Titus’s intensity and his motor,” Hall said. “He just never quit. He was always asked to guard the toughest guy on the opposing team and he did great. He’s an all-around basketball player and I’m excited to see him play next year.”
