The Montezuma-Cortez High School boys basketball program’s growth over the past three seasons hinged on a collection of strong seniors seeing their final action for the Panthers.
Five members of the class of 2023 played a prominent role since seeing significant varsity floor time together in the 2020-21 campaign.
M-CHS (7-15) won as many games this year as they had in the previous two seasons combined, while playing in arguably the most rigorous league for midsize schools in the state. The 4A/3A Intermountain League placed all six of its league members in the postseason tournament, and the Panthers battled neck-and-neck with the IML’s state title contenders.
The wins planted the Panthers in a position that none of the seniors had ever achieved – playing in the state tournament. Fair to say, facing the No. 2 seed Salida in the 3A bracket, the Panthers weren’t going to be starstruck, even as the regional host Spartans held a significant size advantage that propelled them to an unbeaten run through the Tri-Peaks League.
Salida, however, validated their state ranking, overwhelming the Panthers with high pressure in a decisive second quarter to propel the Spartans to a 75-43 win in the tournament opener Friday.
The Panthers pushed Salida in the opening quarter, as senior Gabriel Crowley scored the game’s opening basket, followed later by sophomore Caiden Leonard’s three-pointer to bring the Panthers within a 10-9 score.
However, the Spartans showed why they’ve been a tough matchup for every opponent this season, forcing a series of turnovers in the early stretch of the second quarter to initiate a 10-0 burst to build the lead to double digits, in large part due to 6-foot-6 Spartan senior Tristan Jackson’s impressive play around the rim.
When the dust settled at halftime, Salida outscored M-CHS 30-9 in the second quarter and held a 42-18 lead into the locker room.
“We played the first quarter that we wanted to,” said M-CHS head coach Mike Hall. “We hit some big shots, but their athleticism and size eventually got to us.”
The second half showcased the never-say-die attitude that Panthers fans became accustomed to during the challenging IML slate, as M-CHS played in stride with the No. 2 seed, with senior Austin Wood coming to life in the second half, scoring 12 of his team-high 16 points after the intermission.
However, Salida made sure the Panthers would never close to within 20 points in the second half, as a senior-laden Spartan team flexed its interior dominance in the second half with a series of buckets around the rim that kept the Panthers from eyeing the upset.
Senior Tyler Kaime drained a corner 3-pointer in the fourth quarter, one of eight different Panthers to score in the game. Crowley joined Wood in double figures with 11 points in his final outing for M-CHS hoops.
Jackson led all scorers with 21 points, to go along with 13 points from classmate Chase Diesslin, 11 from 6-foot-5 post Nate Yeakley, and 10 from junior Daniel Edgington.
Wood, Crowley, Kaime, Isaak Lewis, and Elijah Lee closed out careers for the orange-and-black.
“This group built a foundation for the future of the program,” said Hall of his seniors, “and we hope that when they comes back and watches us play in future years, they can recognize that they were a part of the process.”
Hall was also quick to credit the community support for the Panther development this year.
“The fans have been fantastic all year, filling up the gym every night,” said Hall. “They’ve been a big part of this success, and we’re excited for the future of the program.”
The Spartans (22-1) move on to face No. 18 Brush (13-9) in the regional final game, with the victor heading to the University of Denver for the Great Eight of the state tournament, played over the weekend of March 9-11.
