They entered as enemies, and left as equals-or so thought voters on Monday's CHSAANow.com Class 3A poll, in the wake of Bayfield's and Buena Vista's shared and separate efforts at last weekend's BVHS Invitational.

The Wolverines and Demons both cracked the Dec. 15th rankings as "Receiving Votes" with two nods each. Not a bad mental boost for Jeff Lehnus' boys, who were to host Mancos (3-2, 0-0 2A/1A San Juan Basin League) last night in their last pre-holiday home game.

Already leading Buena Vista 12-8 through eight minutes and 30-26 through sixteen, Bayfield ripped the game open with a 28-point third quarter, powered by senior center Preston Hardy and supported by senior guards Conner Kennedy and Trevor Gabbard.

Hitting nine of eleven shots from the field, Hardy was also 8-9 from the free-throw line and racked up a team-best 26 points. Gabbard was 5-of-9 shooting and totaled 12, as did Kennedy thanks to 5-6 FT accuracy.

Senior Dillon Hoselton netted ten points and snared seven boards to match Hardy's count, and Gabbard hauled in six of BHS' reported total of 35.

BHS defeated Buena Vista 74-65.

Fifth-ranked Broomfield Jefferson Academy slowed the Wolverines' roll on Day 2 56 to 43, but had to earn that margin.

Junior Zane Phelps was the only Wolverine in double figures with 10 points, the same total he achieved against BV (when he also snared 10 rebounds), but the Wolverines battled JA from the opening tip and led 17-15 after the first quarter. The Jaguars countered to win the second, and tied the score at 25 going into halftime.

Hardy and Hoselton each scored nine points, Gabbard had eight and junior Taed Heydinger seven, but BHS was just 2-of-10 from three-point land as compared to 6-of-14 versus the Demons. Hoselton led the team with eight boards, and Hardy and Phelps each collected five.

Exiting the event standing 2-1 overall (still 0-0 in the Intermountain), the Wolverines wrap up the 2014 half of their schedule tomorrow at 5 p.m. in Blanding, Utah, against San Juan.