Before matching up against Ignacio on Jan. 16, the Mancos High School boys basketball team figured it stood a fighting chance. Unable to contain Ignacio's explosive offense however, the Bluejays lost to Class 2A's No. 5 ranked team, 71-50.
"We came out and played scared, and they didn't," said Mancos head coach Rodney Cox. "You can't (play scared) at this level."
Ignacio junior Wyatt Hayes led all scorers with 18 points, and Ignacio senior Adison Jones scored 17 points and pulled down 11 rebounds.
Junior Ro Paschel scored 15 points for the Bluejays, and senior Nigel Henry added 12. Cox said that overall, the Mancos offense struggled.
"We had a game plan, and we didn't' implement it very well," said the Mancos coach. "I don't know if it was so much them attacking us as us not doing anything. It was a confidence issue."
Ignacio led 16-5 at the end of the first quarter and 34-18 at halftime. Mancos cut the Ignacio lead to 48-37 late in the third quarter, but was unable to draw closer.
Cox said that the defense and effort of senior Fidel Avalos stood out in the loss.
"He had assignments that were mismatches for him, and he handled them well," said Cox. "He came in and gave us a spark."
With their record now at 5-4 on the season, the Bluejays will prepare for a road matchup against Ridgway on Jan. 24. Cox expects the upcoming matchup to be tough.
"(Ridgway) has three kids back who can play ball," he said. "They have a couple of scorers and a big kid inside. They will be up-tempo, and they are going to shoot the ball well."
