Wielding Colorado high school girls' basketball's hottest hand, Ignacio junior guard Avionne Gomez burned Mancos last Thursday for a state record-tying 10 three-pointers, and was still warm enough two days later to lead a successful comeback against a team bent on not suffering a similar fate.
"We had a big team meeting today, and we talked about personal accountability - not putting blame on anybody...your coaches, your parents, whatever," IHS head coach Shane Seibel recalled after the Bobcats dominated Mancos 78-31 on Senior Night. "Take personal responsibility, and the girls responded."
"I wanted all the seniors to have a good home game to remember - even Tori (Archuleta) and Alejandra (Lujan), who are currently out right now," Gomez said of achieving her larger objective in the team's last regular-season game inside IHS Gymnasium this season.
Scoring more points herself than the visiting Mancos Jays, Gomez finished with 34 points (without attempting a free throw) and drained three triples in the first quarter, two in the second, three in the third and two in the fourth.
Her work came only nine calendar days after the 20th anniversary of Kerri Alsbaugh's historic 10-trey day for then-4A Alamosa against Pueblo Centennial.
"I was very nervous out there!" Gomez said. "I shot, like, nine threes and...I don't know; I was just really nervous. It was a good day."
"We just understood that it was a state record, 10," Seibel said. "And we gave her an opportunity to hit it, and she did! She came out on fire."
Named a team captain prior to the contest, freshman center Morgan Herrera netted 17 points in the victory.
"It was time," Seibel stated, "and she proved that she's ready."
Freshman forward Makayla Howell and junior guard Sidney Cox - with several family members from the Mancos area in attendance - each chipped in eight and freshman Larissa Gallegos booked four for Ignacio.
Despite her team trailing 21-6 after one quarter, 43-20 after two and 68-25 after three, Mancos sophomore guard Emily Cole battled for 18 points-including, ironically, the 2A/1A San Juan Basin League game's final three-ball and MHS' lone long-range basket.
Freshman Isis Jaime managed six points, but the 'Cats kept senior Brittney Peacock scoreless.
Concluding regular-season action last Saturday at 1A Ouray, Gomez scored 16 points - matched by Herrera - in a hard-earned 47-44 win. The pair grabbed 24 rebounds (Herrera 14) as well, helping Ignacio erase deficits of 11-6 after the first quarter and 18-14 at halftime by winning the third quarter 14-13 and the fourth 19-13.
Helped by a Gomez-ish six threes, Ouray Trojan senior Kayla Fairchild piled up a game-best 25 points according to Coach Craig Kaminsky's report. Sophomore Lauren Fairchild managed eight points and senior Wendy Woods four as OHS dipped to 13-5 overall (7-3 SJBL) and Ignacio rose to 13-6 (12-1).
"Pagosa humbled us, and as a coaching staff humbled us," said Seibel, referring to IHS' 46-24 road loss on Valentine's Day to the Class 3A power. "The players were humble enough to say 'We've got a lot to work on, and let's get after it.' Right now we're focused on getting better, and take it out on whoever we're playing next!"
Beginning postseason play, 'Cats will head west to the neutral court of Montezuma-Cortez H.S. for the 2A-District 3 Tournament tonight and tomorrow.
REVIEWING THE RECORD: Gomez's 10 makes from beyond the three-point arc were the most since 5A Aurora Regis Jesuit then-senior Anna Ptasinski sank 10 treys on Feb. 18, 2014, as she logged 30 points in a 91-31 road win at Castle Rock-based 5A Douglas County.
