If absence makes the heart grow fonder, then Panthers fans could scarcely wait another moment to see the orange-and-black on their home floor.
Almost every seat inside The Jungle had an occupant as M-CHS played their first home game of 2025, and only their second contest in their friendly gym all season.
The Panthers’ travels made Odysseus’ perilous journey home in Homer’s Odyssey seem like more of a short story by comparison – and unlike the Greek tragic hero, M-CHS returned home with a larger bounty.
M-CHS notched their twelfth win of the season in front of a pulsating crowd on Friday night, topping Monte Vista, 76-65. The transition game flourished for the Panthers, with the Pirates more than happy to try to keep pace, but the Panthers outdueled the visitors with key second and third quarter runs to sustain their advantage.
Seniors Tay Wheat and Caidin Leonard combined for 38 points, with Wheat dominating the first half before Leonard put together a second half masterpiece in the win.
The Pirates held a brief lead early in the second quarter before the Panthers (12-4, 4-1 IML) erupted with a 25-11 burst to close out the half with a 40-27 advantage. From there, the hosts ballooned the lead to as large as 20 before holding off a late Pirate (8-5, 1-3 IML) charge to secure their fourth straight league win.
“Caidin let the game come to him in the second half,” said eleventh year Panthers head coach Mike Hall, “and that’s when he’s at his most dangerous.” Leornard buried a pair of threes as part of a 12-point third quarter effort in a decisive run that pushed the Panthers to a 63-48 lead through three frames.
Wheat set the table for the Panthers with an electric first half, either scoring or distributing while dicing up the Pirate defense off the dribble. Wheat finished with a game-high 21 points for M-CHS, while sophomore Trey Hall added 18 points.
Hall’s biggest contribution of the night, however, may have come at the other end of the floor, where he was tasked with trying to shut down the IML’s leading scorer Azariah Hurtado. While the junior guard still got to his season average with 20 points, Hall made him work for every inch, while his Panthers teammates made sure that the Pirates were one-and-done on most of their offensive trips.
“I liked the way our guys really controlled the glass,” added Mike Hall, “and even when guys weren’t getting rebounds, they were clearing out the space to let one of their teammates get in there.”
Freshman Ah-dae Lang added 11 points as the fourth Panthers player in double figure scoring, while Jaiden Istenes provided valuable minutes off the bench in the combined effort to limit Hurtado.
Monte Vista’s Alex Marquez finished with co-game-high honors with 21 points, as the first meeting between the two programs since their last season as co-members of the IML (2019-20) went the way of the Panthers.
M-CHS will make a quick turnaround for a battle for second place in the IML when Bayfield (10-5, 4-1 IML) pays a visit on Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m.
The Montezuma-Cortez girls (3-11, 0-5 IML) fell behind early against a hot-shooting Pirate squad, and could never gain their bearings in their defeat in their league home opener.
Monte Vista’s Allessah Archuleta poured in 13 first quarter points to bolster a 17-6 lead through eight minutes for the visitors. From there, M-CHS tried to break a feisty Pirate (8-5, 2-2 IML) press, but the visitors found an answer every time the Panthers found a rhythm.
M-CHS senior Taylor Whited led the Panthers with 13 points, while junior Siana Elliott added four and freshman Kyndall Schmitt scored three. Archuleta finished with a game-high 21 points for the Pirates.
M-CHS will return to their home floor to face Bayfield on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. as both teams seek their first league wins, with action for both the boys and girls games available on local radio station 98.7 FM KRTZ and online at krtzradio.com.
