Mancos has developed a reputation as a second-half team. Teams this season have thrown their best at the Bluejays, but Mancos seems to find the right adjustment in the locker room to put away the opposition after halftime.
In their rivalry game Thursday against Montezuma-Cortez, the Jays absorbed countless body blows in the first half and trailed by as many as six points, but they appeared unfazed and turned the game around in a decisive third quarter, and pulled away for a 69-54 victory.
The game had all the makings of another thriller, coming as the Panthers were reeling from a 22-point defeat to Durango two nights before. Five first-half three-pointers, including a corner three from junior DeRon Ethelbah, fired up the Panthers faithful who made the trip to Mancos.
However, the Bluejays kept their cool and provided a heavy dose of senior Connor Showalter to punish the Panthers’ post defenders. The front-runner for the SJBL Player of the Year honor demonstrated his own range, knocking in a pair of first-half threes as part of a 13-point output in the opening 16 minutes.
Mancos (16-2, 10-0 2A/1A SJBL) led 19-15 after a quarter, but the Panthers made it clear that they were hanging around, as junior Isaak Lewis dropped in a couple of deep threes to knot up the game at 27. Moments later, the Panthers were in front, with freshman Tay Wheat providing a steal and score to build the Panthers momentum and give the visitors a 36-30 lead.
Like Clark Kent in a telephone booth, the Bluejays disappeared to the locker room, only to return as a different team.
The Jays defense stepped up the pressure, forcing the Panthers (5-13, 1-7 3A IML) in numerous turnovers in the third quarter and converting them into easy buckets at the other end. Showalter continued his dominant night, matching his first-half output with a flurry of lay-ins to give Mancos the lead for good.
When the defense collapsed onto the ball, someone was left unguarded – and a variety of Jays punished M-CHS from the perimeter. Sophomore Brian Veach enjoyed a solid night outside, knocking in three triples to help Mancos build a 53-46 lead after three quarters.
The Panthers had limited answers. Junior Sawyer Smith attacked the rim for a handful of buckets, but the Bluejays capitalized on many of the one-and-done trips with transition chances.
Mancos would balloon the lead to 18 in the fourth quarter, with Bluejays senior Edgar Hernandez putting the icing on a celebratory night with a couple of late baskets.
A year after scoring 31 against the Panthers, Showalter paced the way with 26 points. He also capped his career with a 3-0 record against M-CHS in his four years as a Bluejays starter.
Veach (13) and Hernandez (10) both finished in double figures for the Bluejays, while Kail Wayman added eight in the win.
Nine Panthers scored, led by 10 points from Smith, while Lewis, Ethelbah, and junior Austin Wood posted eight points apiece.
Mancos turns around for another rivalry game less than 24 hours later, when Dolores pays a visit for a 7 p.m. contest on Friday, Feb. 18 to cap the regular season for the Jays. Mancos will then look to the district tournament, where they will hold the top seed and have a bye to the semifinals, to be competed at Montezuma-Cortez on Friday and Saturday, Feb. 25-26.
M-CHS, meanwhile, sees its regular season end with the IML tournament on the horizon. The Panthers will travel to Bayfield on Tuesday, Feb. 22, for a third meeting against the Wolverines this season. The winner will advance the IML semifinals on Friday, Feb. 25, with the championship game played the following day.
