Gifted six free-throw attempts during the final 13.1 seconds of regulation Feb. 18, Montezuma-Cortez made just two. But head coach Brad Wright was willing to give his Panthers a little leeway; senior guard/forward Kalea Ogo’s make with 9.6 seconds left and freshman guard Kyndall Schmitt’s with only 9.6 seconds remaining proved the difference in a 39-37 win over Ignacio.
“That was really special for me,” Schmitt said, awed by the atmosphere. “I just really wanted to give that to our seniors. I’m going to miss them so much; they were such a big part of my year this year.”
“It was like the whole world was on my shoulders. And I’d missed two – it was like, ‘I don’t know if I can make just this one!’” Ogo said. “But then I took a deep breath and remembered that it’s my senior year, and it’s better to do something than leave with nothing. I was just there in the moment, at the right time, and so I just had to shoot it and hope it goes in.”
Every shot was pressure-packed, with M-CHS Gymnasium filled to capacity for the last home game in the careers of Ogo, Reyaunna Jones, Shaylynn Bia, Kayden Lee, Savannah Billings, Jori Polich and JV regular Alex Collins.
And, of course, cornerstone Taylor Whited, who was recognized for setting M-CHS’ new single-game scoring record (42 points on Feb. 11 against Class 2A Mancos). She was guarded by the guests, meaning a teammate would likely bear much of the offensive burden.
In a game in which neither side leading by more than five points, it ended up being Ogo. After Class 4A Montezuma-Cortez (6-15 overall, 2-8 Intermountain League) emerged from the first quarter with a 9-8 advantage, Class 3A Ignacio (7-12, 3-6) eventually took a 16-14 lead in the second via a surprise 3-pointer by senior forward Victoria Brown.
The score stood at 18-14 before Ogo hit one of two free throws – resulting from Brown picking up her third personal foul – with 32.9 seconds left until halftime. Whited then managed to steal the ball shortly after Ignacio inbounded it, and with an easy layup cut the guests’ lead to 18-17 going into intermission.
“We took a look at what they were doing and kind of had a game plan coming out of the locker room,” Wright said. “But the biggest thing was just to be aggressive, stay in front of your girl and stay focused. And I think they did a really good job.”
Ogo (11 points; 3-for-6 FT) began the third quarter with a go-ahead basket, assisted by Jones, in the low post. The Panthers gradually expanded their lead to 27-22, helped by a Whited 3-pointer and a Polich free throw with 2:46 left after Bobcats sophomore Maliyah Martinez received her fourth personal foul. Coincidentally, Whited had already picked up her fourth with 6:13 left in the quarter.
Junior Juliann Avila’s two-pointer in the last minute brought Ignacio back to 29-26, and senior DaLaney Wesner regained IHS a 32-31 lead early in the fourth quarter with a long wing jumper. Taking a feed from Ogo, Lee snatched the lead back with 5:58 left but missed the and-one bonus after being fouled.
Brown (10 points) picked up her fourth personal foul 55 seconds later, but Martinez later sank a sudden, wide-open corner 3-pointer to tie the score at 35-35. Wesner (14 points) then swished a long two-pointer from the near wing with 2:44 to go, only to see Jones retie it at 37-all off a pass from junior center Siana Elliott.
As expected, the game’s pace slowed drastically as both sides began playing for just a winning shot – or, at the least, a free throw. Montezuma-Cortez was awarded two when, after Schmitt grabbed a vital offensive rebound, Jones was fouled with 13.1 seconds remaining by Martinez, who fouled out.
Jones missed both, but moments later Brown joined Martinez on head coach Travis Nanaeto’s bench, putting Ogo at the charity stripe with a chance to seal the game.
“It was very, like, breathtaking,” Ogo said. “All the nerves were up, and everybody was just ecstatic, filled with waves of emotion. But it was fine because I had my team with me, and on the court, we just clicked.”
“She’s definitely one of those players the rest of the team leans on,” Wright said. “So having her back in the lineup really gives us a lot of confidence, allows the other girls to be a little more free to do what they do.”
“There’s always a lump in my throat because of where we are in the season and how much we go through to get to this point,” he added. “So it’s bittersweet, but I’m really happy the seniors were able to step off the court in this fashion today.”
Whited finished with seven points, while Schmitt (4-for-6 FT) totaled six. Bia and Elliott (0-for-1 FT) each contributed four during the first half, while Jones (0-for-2 FT), Lee (0-for-4 FT) and sophomore Abigale Baker each scored two in the fourth quarter.
“That was the biggest crowd we’ve had this year, and it just helped us, got us hyped; we knew we needed to win for our crowd and our hometown,” Schmitt said. “But we still have a chance of getting to regionals, and we need to focus on the future and not keep living in the past. We need to keep our heads up.”
Up next, M-CHS will visit Monte Vista (10-10, 4-6 IML) on Friday, Feb. 21, before a day off. Ignacio, meanwhile, will host Alamosa (15-5, 7-2) on Feb. 21, then Monte Vista the next afternoon.
“We still have more basketball, but this is the last time we’ll be standing on this court together,” Ogo said. “So it’s sad but happy that we’re the same basketball players we were when we used to play as kids. And it’s going to be tough, but I think if we work together, anything’s possible!”
