Having already displayed a versatile offensive game throughout the first half, Ignacio senior Charley Pargin had the basketball in his hands as the second quarter neared its end Tuesday night, Feb. 18.
Often utilizing pump fakes or reverse pivots to elude defenders, he opted not to shoot this time. Instead, Pargin caught Montezuma-Cortez slightly out of position and passed to sophomore Cayson Burcham, who drilled a straight-on 3-pointer, sending the teams into halftime with the visiting Bobcats leading 29-28 in a thrilling 3A/4A Intermountain League battle before a standing-room-only crowd at M-CHS Gymnasium.
Scoreless up to that moment, Burcham’s shot wasn’t a fluke. Assisted by junior Sonny Flores, junior Stoney White Thunder had ended the first quarter with a 3-pointer, stealing a 17-15 lead for Ignacio. Earlier in the quarter, senior Lincoln Gillespie nailed a 3-pointer to put Ignacio up 5-4, and junior Trace Crane later sank one for a 14-12 advantage with 2:11 remaining.
After Ignacio erased a 26-20 deficit – produced by M-CHS sophomore guard Trey Hall converting a three-point play after Crane fouled him on a successful drive to the hoop – the Panthers knew it would take something special to subdue the Bobcats.
M-CHS guard Caidin Leonard, honored on Senior Night along with guard Tay Wheat and forward/center Ridge Hathale, opened the third quarter with a 3-pointer. Pargin quickly answered with a putback basket, tying the score at 31. He soon added another bucket, but Montezuma-Cortez extended a 37-33 lead with back-to-back scoring lobs – one from Leonard, one from sophomore forward Asher Bennetts – to the high-flying Hall.
Junior guard Trace Hartsoe had a chance to push the lead to 10, but instead of finishing a breakaway himself, he dropped the ball to a trailing Hall, who made no mistake. Having missed much of the Panthers’ previous game at Ignacio due to injury, Hall recognized the moment’s significance.
“It’s awesome to see my teammates having confidence like that,” he said. “Whenever I’m not hot and just don’t seem to be shooting well, I need to find my teammates. But tonight, I was hot.”
“Trey, he’s all-around; he can score, play good defense, and he’s getting really good at protecting the rim and rebounding,” M-CHS head coach Michael Hall said. “Between him and Tay, and if Caidin knocks down a couple of threes … it’s just that spark, and our boys feed off that.”
The Panthers continued their dominant third quarter. Hartsoe contributed four points, junior Jaris McDonald came off the bench to add two, and Leonard capped it with his third and fourth 3-pointers of the night, giving Montezuma-Cortez a commanding 53-33 lead after a 25-4 run in the quarter.
But Ignacio refused to go quietly.
“I’m really proud of my boys; they busted their butts, had the best attitude and the best effort,” IHS head coach Trae Seibel said. “We’re the smallest school in this league, and we’re hanging with every team that’s way bigger than us. Our boys are battling, and today the third quarter just got away from us. But if we lock up a little better….”
The Bobcats tightened their defense in the final frame and closed the gap to 57-45 with 4:07 left via a Burcham three-point play. Ignacio outscored M-CHS 12-4 in the quarter, but the Panthers managed the clock and added key baskets to keep the Bobcats at bay.
“That’s what Senior Night is about, right? You hope you can put yourself in that position, and we were able to,” Michael Hall said, reflecting on his seniors’ exits to roaring applause. “Ridge, Caidin, and Tay, they built this. After COVID, things were kind of out of whack, and they built the program back up. Now we’re packing the stands again and winning games. Those boys deserve a lot of credit; that’s why I did their curtain calls.”
“I’ve never played in a game like that, with so many people standing around because there were no seats left,” said Trey Hall, who finished with a game-high 18 points. “It was awesome to see my teammates have Senior Night to themselves – and it was easier to score, for some reason.”
Leonard scored 14 points, Hartsoe had 11, and Wheat added 10 for Montezuma-Cortez (16-5 overall, 8-2 IML). Freshman Ah-dae Lang led the Panthers reserves with five points. Pargin finished with 15 for Ignacio (9-11, 2-7), while Crane and D.J. Hendren scored seven each. Burcham had six points, and Gillespie – who earned a spot start in place of Hendren – totaled five.
M-CHS will visit Monte Vista (10-10, 3-7) on Friday night, Feb. 21, before a day off Saturday. Ignacio will host Alamosa (3-17, 1-8) on Feb. 21 and Monte Vista the following evening.
