PUEBLO-Fans were unfortunately denied a chance to see "REZ-ball" challenge "RES-ball."
But if there was one thing Ignacio would have loathed more than yet another loss to non-league nemesis Sanford-spoiling IHS' shot at facing top-ranked, top-seeded Loveland Resurrection Christian for all the season's marbles-it would have been leaving the 2015 Class 2A State Basketball Championships empty-handed.
That simply wasn't an option, and with a 69-52 defeat of Simla on Saturday, March 14, the 23-3 Bobcat boys made sure some sort of trophy would join them in making the return trip to La Plata County and the heart of the Southern Ute Indian Reservation.
"It felt good just to get back to what we know, what we're doing," said senior forward Adison Jones, who accepted the third-place trophy inside CSU-Pueblo's Massari Arena.
"To get one last win felt good."
"Amazing," said fellow senior Xavier Reynolds. "It just shows we're a team, one of the best in Colorado."
"Sad it happened so quick, four years," he continued, "and I wish it would last longer. It was amazing."
"It feels great," agreed junior guard Anthony Manzanares. "Even though it's third place we.feel like we just won a first-place championship. We're just playing for our seniors, our team, and playing for our community."
Simla finished their season at 23-4 and in fourth place to match their initial seeding in the tournament's "Great Eight" stage.
Ignacio junior guard Wyatt Hayes led all players with 23 points and was 7-of-12 at the charity stripe in the fourth quarter, and Manzanares finished with an impressive 18, including a Hayes-like trio of triples. Jones scored 11 points, junior center Nick Herrera notched seven fourth-quarter points and totaled nine, and junior guard Tucker Ward and freshman guard Kruz Pardo each ended with three.
Leading 7-6 after a slow-developing first quarter, IHS separated in the second and led 28-16 at halftime and 44-33 after three frames before putting the game away with 18-of-25 foul-line accuracy in the fourth. (The 'Cats were 26-37 for the game in that department).
Free throws helped Ignacio avoid disaster on Day 1 in Pueblo. A collective 9-of-10 mark, mixed with Jones' individual nine-point production in the fourth quarter, allowed the 'Cats to short-circuit the Rye Thunderbolts' attempt at an early upset.
Hayes scored a game-best 16 points, 11 of which aided IHS in forgetting a two-point first quarter and recovering to lead 16-15 at intermission. The Santa Fe League's best, however, fought back to lead 30-26 entering the fourth and still led with 2:35 remaining, 36 to 35.
Ignacio, though, was able to answer one last, decisive time and Ward sank two freethrows with 0:55 left for a 39-36 advantage, which grew to the final 45-38 score via a flurry of freethrows, two at a time, by Manzanares, Jones and Hayes.
Jones finished with 13 points, Herrera had seven, Ward five and Manzanares four.
But once again, the Southern Peaks League's primary power shut down the Bobcats' title hopes.
Seeded #2 behind only Resurrection Christian, Sanford displayed some IHS-like shooting skill on Day 2 and never allowed Ignacio to get closer than 15-13 in a 65-54 triumph. Indian senior forward Clayton Peterson equaled Hayes' five threes in the battle, and both finished with 17 points to pace the squads.
Jones registered 14 points and Manzanares had nine before picking up his fifth personal foul with 4:58 still to play. Pardo finished with eight points off Chris Valdez's bench, but Ward was held to four and Herrera just two.
Sanford went on to repeat as state champions the next night, 47-44 in overtime versus Resurrection.
Losing only Jones and Reynolds this year to graduation, there seem to be some more state appearances coming up for the Bobcats.
