MANCOS – Look through the annals of Mancos boys athletics, and you’d be hard-pressed to find a group more influential on the trajectory of Bluejay athletics than the Class of 2024.
On Saturday afternoon on their home floor, the Jays closed out their basketball season in the Sweet 16, falling 65-46 against the Limon Badgers.
The careers of Mancos’ seniors who made the past four years of success possible ended as a result.
Mancos battled well in the early stages against the ninth-seeded Badgers, leading 27-26 at the break, only to see the visitors take control of the game in the third quarter with a decisive 18-5 run.
Senior Brian Veach closed out a tremendous high school career with 17 points in his final game for the blue and white, ramping up pressure on the Badgers and turning steals into buckets.
Mancos led by four after the opening quarter, and Veach added seven more points in the second frame, all while classmates Chris Medina and Kail Wayman looked to keep Limon standout Jordan Rockwell in check.
It worked for a while, but Rockwell finally kick-started a strong performance in the second quarter, right as Wayman found himself saddled with foul trouble.
The Badger senior rattled off nine quick points to put the visitors on the front foot, then continued the onslaught in the third quarter with an additional 10 points.
Mancos struggled to keep pace, even as junior Kaiden Wyatt put together another double figure scoring performance, scoring seven in the second half.
Rockwell’s showcasing raced into the fourth quarter, and as the Badger lead grew to double figures, he saw more of the ball and cashed in almost every time he touched it. Rockwell finished the game with 33 points to send the Badgers to their sixth straight state tournament quarterfinal appearance.
Meanwhile, Mancos saw its pursuit of the program’s first Great Eight appearance fall by the wayside, ending the season in the Sweet 16 for the fifth straight year.
Veach, Medina (14 points) and Wyatt (11 points) all scored in double figures for the Bluejays, while Wayman and classmate Andrew Jaime were held scoreless in their final games.
The previous day against Sedgwick County, Wayman erupted for 15 points in a 62-49 victory, propelling the Jays to advance in the state tournament for the sixth straight year.
The Jays (18-5) recorded their seventh straight season with a winning record, posting a combined 67-18 record over the past four seasons. That stretch included two San Juan Basin League regular season crowns and three district tournament titles.
