After amassing a glowing 8-0 record during nonconference play, the Montezuma Cortez High School boys basketball team has sputtered to a 2-2 start in Intermountain League play.
The talented Panthers still have the opportunity to move up in the league standings and possibly challenge Alamosa and Bayfield for the title, however, and that quest begins this weekend with a home matchup against Monte Vista on Jan. 25 and a road matchup against Pagosa Springs on Jan. 26.
While its 4-8 record overall and 0-4 record in the Intermountain League does not jump off the page, the Monte Vista Pirates are far from pushovers, having taken some of the Intermountain League’s top teams to the wire.
On Jan. 17, the Pirates lost by five points to the league’s top team, Bayfield, and one day later, Monte Vista lost to Pagosa Springs by eight points. Monte Vista also led for much of the first half against Alamosa.
For M-CHS to be successful, its guards will have to control Monte Vista athletes Darrius Garcia, Jarren Chavez and David Mascarenas, who are capable of pushing the ball up the court and finishing at the rim.
In the six Pirates’ games for which statistics are available, Garcia has averaged 19.2 points per game, Chavez has averaged 16.0 points per game, and Mascarenas has averaged 12.8 points and 5.2 rebounds.
Although Monte Vista’s guards are undoubtedly talented, history suggests that M-CHS will have success controlling the pace of the game and putting points on the board. Last season, the Panthers defeated the Pirates by scores of 79-56, 73-60, and 70-50.
Junior Teagan Whiteskunk, who averages 19.6 points per game, and senior Michael Diaz, who averages 10.7 points, could give Monte Vista’s defense difficulty on the perimeter. M-CHS big men Cordell Baer and Jens Jorgensen will enjoy significant size advantages in the paint.
All-purpose athlete Titus Jackson, who is averaging 11.4 points and 4.9 rebounds per contest, will be an X-factor for the Panthers as the junior’s athleticism and ability to score from any spot on the floor make him a difficult matchup for any team.
In light of the Panthers’ talent and history against Monte Vista, look for the Panthers to control the game from the onset and walk away with a double-digit victory.
When M-CHS matched up against Pagosa Springs on Jan. 11, the Panthers came from five points down in the fourth quarter and won, 58-54. Diaz played a key role in M-CHS’ comeback as the senior scored nine of his 16 points in the last seven minutes.
For the Panthers to pick up a second win against the Pirates, players will have to do a better job defending Pagosa Springs junior Mason Snarr, who scored 17 points and wreaked havoc on the offensive glass in the teams’ first matchup.
M-CHS will also have to contain junior Michael Lewis, whose ability to hit open jump shots forced the Panthers to switch to a man-to-man defense several times during the game.
One place that the Panthers may be able to gain a marked advantage is in the paint, given that senior Cordell Baer appeared to be the strongest player on the floor during M-CHS’ initial matchup with Pagosa Springs.
In the event that Baer is able to break out of his recent slump, exploit his strength advantage down low and tally more than the six points that he did in his initial matchup with Pagosa Springs, the Panthers could race to a double digit victory.
If Pagosa Springs is able to slow the pace of the game and find success on the offensive glass however, M-CHS could be in for another grind-it-out matchup that could come down to the final seconds and depend on a last-second shot.
