Having seen the benefits of senior forward Zane Phelps' four second-quarter baskets erased by as many Ignacio three-pointers in the third, BHS guard Hunter Killough may have unknowingly restarted the Wolverines towards an improbable win with one display of hustle.
In a hostile venue where if teams don't, they're usually quickly run by, over.and out.
Senior Anthony Manzanares had just drained the Bobcats' fourth triple of the third, putting IHS ahead 42-26 Tuesday night with only 1:59 left in the quarter. Bayfield then inbounded and brought the ball down to set up their offense, but an errant pass zipped towards the seats opposite the team's bench.only to be saved into freshman guard Keyon Prior's hands by Killough's full-on swan dive.
Prior was then fouled while shooting, hit one of his two free throws, and the inspired sequence ended with junior reserve guard Brian Mashak swooping in for a finger-roll just before the buzzer, bringing the IHS Gymnasium visitors back to 42-29 with only eight regulation minutes remaining.
Head Coach Jeff Lehnus had substituted Killough out not long before, giving the Bayfield faithful in attendance a chance to properly cheer the sophomore's caution-to-the-wind effort, but also giving himself a chance to thank his player as well as get him some extra rest before the fourth quarter.
And as it incredibly turned out, the fifth quarter. Somehow able to rally all the way back, the unranked Class 3A Wolverines managed to tie the Class 2A's #4 Bobcats 50-50 after 32 scheduled minutes of action. Then BHS prevailed 56-55 after the added time.
Zane Phelps, 12 points to his credit through three quarters, would finish with an awesome 26 while IHS senior guard Wyatt Hayes-three treys and 15 points himself through three-would end up with 23.
BHS senior Taed Heydinger totaled 13 points as Bayfield improved to 5-7 (still 0-2 in the 3A Intermountain) overall, and sank two crucial FT's after the Wolverines' uphill climb began immediately, with Ignacio (9-2, 4-0 2A/1A San Juan Basin) sprinting out 7-0 and later holding a 14-6 lead after one quarter's work.
But with 3:42 left in the first half, IHS' Kruz Pardo was hit with a technical foul for spiking the ball in frustration, and Heydinger cashed the resulting charity chucks to bring BHS back to 20-19. The bonus possession came up empty, but after a Bayfield defensive stop, Heydinger converted a put-back at the other end to get the guests their first advantage in the escalating conflict.
Bobcat backup Johnny Valdez, however, quieted that thunder somewhat by banking in a three-pointer. Zane Phelps responded with a jumper to tie with just 1:08 left before the break, at which the score was still 23-23 (Hayes' buzzer-beating half-court heave had rimmed out) and the game still very much afoot.
Ryan Phelps finished with six points in the victory, while Manzanares totaled eight and senior Tucker Ward, who'd gotten the game going with a breakaway layup, 13 in the rare defeat.
Up next the Wolverines will look to build upon their success tonight back inside BHS Gymnasium versus Pagosa Springs, with the Pirates coming in 8-4 overall, 2-0 in the IML. Meanwhile, after their program's first loss to Bayfield in a decade, the 'Cats will look to run rampant at home against SJBL stragglers Dolores (3-10 overall).
