Their season record may not be pretty, but the Mancos High School girls basketball team appears to be gelling at the right time.
Bluejays nearly upset Nucla
Playing one of their finest games of the season at home on Feb. 21, the Bluejays nearly upset Nucla, losing 60-52 in the surprisingly close contest.
Getting off to a strong start, the Bluejays hung tough throughout the first quarter, concluding the opening eight minutes trailing 18-16.
Gaining confidence in the second quarter, the Bluejays found their rhythm, outscoring Nucla 17-10 in the frame to build a 33-28 lead entering halftime.
Clearly woken up by the Bluejays' big first half, Nucla came out on fire to start the third quarter, pulling ahead 45-39 entering the fourth quarter.
Fighting valiantly in the final frame, the Bluejays nearly closed the gap several times, but ultimately, Nucla's inside attack proved too much.
Even with the loss however, the Bluejays exited the Mancos Performance Center confident in their ability to match up against the region's top teams.
Bluejays beat Dolores
Continuing to improve before the eyes of their fans, the Bluejays travelled to Dolores on Feb. 22 and beat the Bears 59-56.
After falling behind 31-10 in the first quarter, the Bluejays cut the Dolores lead to 27-26 entering halftime before pulling ahead 46-38 entering the fourth.
Doing their best to hang on during a back and forth quarter, the Bluejays overcame several baskets by Bears' star Brianna Schwartz in route the victory.
In all, Schwartz scored a game high 35 points, yet the well-balanced Bluejays still managed to prevail.
With the win, the Bluejays improved to 4-13 on the year.
The Bluejays will look to advance through the postseason in the week to come, kicking things off with a play-in game against Dolores in Mancos on Feb. 25.
