If the first league weekend of the season is any indicator, the 2023 Intermountain League schedule looks like it’ll be a wild ride for Panthers basketball.
With state-ranked teams galore in the boys and girls IML standings, M-CHS can ill afford to have an off-night during the 10-game league slate.
Out of the gate, both Panthers squads got a taste of the rigors of league play and walked away with their first victories of the IML campaign, as the M-CHS boys topped Bayfield 63-57 and the Panther girls knocked off the Wolverines 49-28. The following day, the Panthers couldn’t duplicate the feat, as M-CHS fell to Alamosa 74-51, in boys action, while the girls dropped their meeting with the Mean Moose 74-30.
For head coach Mike Hall and the M-CHS boys, a strong first quarter against Bayfield on Jan. 13 set the tone for the contest, as the Panthers jumped out to a 17-9 edge through the opening frame.
Senior Austin Wood tallied seven points in the period, and the Panthers (5-4, 1-1 4A/3A IML) started to flex their muscles on the road. Junior Miles Frost scored six first-half points, and the Panthers combined for four first-half triples to grow the lead to as large as a dozen before Bayfield clawed their way back to within eight points at the break.
In their typically tight meetings, Bayfield (5-5, 0-2 4A/3A IML) and M-CHS always seem to be good for a big run, and the Wolverines put together theirs in the opening minutes of the third quarter, rattling off a 12-2 spurt to tie up the contest at 38.
However, back-to-back threes from sophomore Caiden Leonard and junior Easton Hartsoe put the Panthers up by six heading to the fourth quarter. From there, the Panthers grew the lead to nine, and kept the hosts at arm’s length for the remainder, thanks to senior Elijah Lee’s game-sealing free throws.
Wood’s 16 points paced the way for a balanced Panthers attack, while sophomore Tay Wheat added a dozen tallies in the victory. Frost finished the day with eight points.
Devin Cundiff scored a baker’s dozen for Bayfield to lead the way.
In their league home opener the following day, however, M-CHS couldn’t find the same touch from the field against Alamosa, falling behind 24-5 after one quarter, and trying to play catch-up against the No. 10 team in the 4A rankings.
Hartsoe and senior Gabriel Crowley posted double-figure outings, scoring 12 and 10 points, respectively, but the Moose (10-1, 2-0 4A/3A IML) picked up their sixth straight win behind 15 points from junior Brant Jackson.
Both Alamosa and 3A No. 3 Centauri – with the latter serving as the next Panther opponent – opened the league slate 2-0, while the Panthers sit tied with 4A No. 6 Pagosa Springs at 1-1 in the IML.
As for the girls, head coach Brad Wright’s Panthers (3-5, 1-1 4A/3A IML) posted a dominant performance against Bayfield, taking firm control from the opening tip.
Junior Cyriah Begay helped the Panthers jolt to a 19-0 start in the opening quarter against the Wolverines (2-5, 0-2 4A/3A IML), collecting five three-pointers en route to a game-high 18 points.
Bayfield scored late in the opening quarter to break up the run and started to claw back into the contest, rallying to within 31-21 midway through the second half. Sophomore Taylor Whited posted one of the best outings in her career, tallying 15 points as the Panthers put together a second devastating run in the fourth quarter to put the game out of reach.
An 18-0 run, which included a number of Begay’s three-point baskets, helped the visitors balloon the lead above 20 to help close out their first league win of the season.
Junior Savannah Haselroth added nine points, while classmate Markylla Jones added five in the win. Wolverine senior Alaysia Kremer paced the way with nine points for the hosts.
In their second contest of the weekend, Begay stayed sharp from outside the arc, adding four more triples in a 19-point outburst against Alamosa, but the Mean Moose (9-3, 1-0 4A/3A IML) clamped down on the rest of the Panthers, outscoring M-CHS 23-3 in a decisive second quarter to take control of a tight contest.
After the opening weekend of the season in girls action, Centauri and Alamosa worked their way through as the two unbeaten squads, with M-CHS and Pagosa Springs sitting at 1-1.
The Panthers are set to host Centauri on Friday, Jan. 20 in The Jungle – with the boys and girls doubleheader against the Falcons to be broadcast on local radio station 98.7 FM KRTZ beginning at 5:15 p.m. The Falcons girls program, just like the boys, sit in the top five of the most recent CHSAA rankings, sitting No. 4 in the 3A polls.
Reporter Joel Priest contributed to this article.
