Amazed that a depleted Ridgway squad had not only managed to hang with them, but in fact twice lead them during the opening eight minutes inside SunUte Community Center, the Bobcat boys began the second quarter with a Lawrence Valdez three-pointer and never looked back.
All told, Ignacio would rain down 14 treys (10 after halftime) to douse the Demons, and all 10 players suiting up contributed at least two points in an impressive 88-24 blowout, following up the previous night's 58-42 defeat of Telluride for a vital 2A/1A San Juan Basin League weekend sweep.
"We've got two more league games-the Mancos game, Ouray game away-and if we win those, of course we win the league outright. Even if we lose both those games we would tie for the league championship," head coach Chris Valdez said, looking ahead to the squad's Feb. 16 home test and Feb. 18 league finale on the road.
Results from the Blue Jays' visit Thursday night were unavailable at press time, as the 'Cats recognized lone 2016-17 senior Joaquin King-an individual RHS wholly expected to sink at least a couple threes. Which he did-including IHS' very first-in the 64-point romp, totaling six points.
But after Ridgway's Ty Kraft dropped in a short runner, putting the guests up 9-7 late in the first quarter, it would take the guests another two quarters just to double their tally. Meanwhile Ignacio, at times employing a vicious full-court press and at others simply looking to rip the ball away, never trailed again after Valdez's steal-and-two. That put Igancio up 11-9 with 10 seconds left.
"Our Telluride game, it was a 'statement' game; we needed to make that," he said, after racking up 18 points to lead all players. "And if we didn't come out and play hard (versus Ridgway) then it was going to look bad on our RPI system; we just had to play hard."
Allowing RHS to get no closer than 24-14 on young Andrew Winkelmann's second surprise triple of the first half, the Bobcats (12-4, 10-0 SJBL) went into the locker room up 32-14, but they weren't exactly satisfied by it.
"The first half, it was kind of flat," Lawrence Valdez said. "Like, 30 points in a half is not great. The third quarter, it got us going. Everyone was getting the ball; we were all playing together."
Decisively shell-shocking the senior-less Demons (2-15, 2-9), lacking regulars Jimmy Saville and Colin Kraft, Ignacio piled up 33 devastating points while spotting RHS only an early four, and went into the final frame up 65-18.
The lead would only grow, and Ridgway failed to score again until sophomore starter Jon Bustos' bucket made the score 81-20 in the wake of consecutive threes by IHS reserves Daniel Weaver and Keegan Schurman.
"One guy hit one, then another guy hit one," said Chris Valdez. "Everybody started stepping up, it becomes contagious, and it just flowed for us. It was gangbusters, you know?"
Ignacio lacked junior catalyst Kruz Pardo and energizing sophomore reserve Calvin Levato, so Bobcat reserve Jonas Nanaeto, recently called up along with Schurman to the varsity with spots temporarily open, polished off the victory in the alternate venue with a breakaway layup in the waning seconds. (IHS Gymnasium was being used for the "Guns 'N' Hoses" Basketball Challenge fundraiser, pitting the Southern Ute Police Department against the Los Pinos Fire Department to benefit the Southern Ute Indian Tribe's Boys & Girls Club.)
Draining three threes, junior Cole McCaw scored 17 points for Ignacio. Juniors Johnny Valdez and Kai Roubideaux each logged 12, and sophomore Clay Seibel-via matching McCaw's three treys-booked nine.
Bustos and Winkelmann each managed eight for the Demons, in a game with only 16 total fouls called and six free throws attempted and made; RHS was 4-of-4, IHS 2-2.
"We got those younger guys in, got them the ball to score, so the team is starting to come together as a team," Chris Valdez stated. "That's what's most important to me right now."
Now the top 'Others Receiving Votes' team in the revised CHSAANow.com Class 2A rankings (issued Feb. 13), the 'Cats are scheduled for a 4 p.m. tip tomorrow at Ouray (11-7, 6-3), before wrapping up the regular season on the Feb. 21 at 1A Monticello, Utah.
