CORTEZ – For all the years the Panthers spent punching above their weight among the Western Slope’s biggest schools in the Southwestern League, the 2025–26 season has taken on the feel of a revenge tour.
After barnstorming through their former conference with a 4-0 record this winter, M-CHS head coach Mike Hall might not be receiving any invitations from the SWL to rejoin them anytime soon.
On Friday night in front of a hopping Jungle crowd, the Panthers collected their most prized win in completing the sweep, bolting past Durango 67-45. The victory joined wins over Montrose (Jan. 20), Grand Junction (Dec. 20) and GJ Central (Dec. 18), giving the orange and black their first winning record against Southwestern League opposition since the 2008–09 season.
More importantly for Hall’s crew, the victory added another quality win over a 5A foe, as Class 4A No. 3 M-CHS continued to sit in the catbird seat for a home regional site in early March. With the nonconference games in the books, the Panthers (13-0, 2-0 Class 4A/3A Intermountain League) can now refocus their energy on pursuing the program’s first league title in its 10-year span in the Intermountain League – a journey that resumes Saturday in Pagosa Springs.
Durango (4-9, 0-2 Class 6A/5A SWL) encountered the same turbulent waters every opponent has faced from the Panthers this season – a brutally efficient defense that averages 16 steals per game. The Panthers’ defense had allowed more than 50 points only once all season, so Demons acting head coach Orlando Griego, filling in for absent DHS leader Alan Batiste, knew his team would have to protect possessions and deliver an exceptional shooting night to keep pace with the hosts.
Durango scored six of the first eight points, with junior Boaz Zastrocky flashing solid moves around the lane to give the visitors early life.
However, the Panthers remained nonplussed, turning to an offensive formula that included a heavy dose of their leading scorer. Junior Trey Hall continued his run toward threatening the M-CHS single-season record held by early-2000s standout Ryan Mortensen, surpassing 800 career points while pouring in 23 points – including a series of electrifying dunks – to the delight of the partisan crowd [DELETE: as M-CHS]. The home team turned a 6-2 deficit into a 24-12 lead by the end of the first quarter and never looked back.
“Durango came out hot, so we had to make a few adjustments – then we were off and running,” said the Panthers head coach.
Senior Trace Hartsoe sparked the turnaround with eight of his 12 points during the first-quarter run. While the Demons knocked down several 3-pointers in the second and third quarters, junior Kingston Kerlin and Zastrocky’s team-high 12 points were not enough to seriously threaten the Panthers’ 42-25 halftime lead.
“Trace is capable of getting going at any time,” Hall said. “He knows how to lead and play in the big moments of big games.”
Junior Asher Bennetts, who has scored 28 points over his last three games, continued to be a force around the rim as M-CHS controlled the glass. Sophomore Justin Bane provided rebounding support during Bennetts’ brief stints on the bench.
Entering the contest, one of Durango’s biggest challenges was determining what to take away from the Panthers. In M-CHS’ win over Montrose earlier in the week, all nine players who saw the floor scored, with crisp ball movement breaking the Red Hawks’ trapping attempts. The Panthers followed that performance with eight players scoring against the Demons, using constant cutting action to generate high-percentage looks near the basket.
Sophomore Royce Watts scored seven points off the bench to lead the reserves, and the Panthers’ defensive pressure never relented, even as Hall rotated freely through his lineup.
“When our guys come in off the bench, the defense doesn’t stop – and it allows us to keep the pressure on,” Hall said. “The bench players are the key piece in our defensive success.”
Completing a sweep of the Southwestern League carried special meaning for Hall, who played and began his coaching career against the Western Slope’s largest schools.
“It’s good competition for us, seeing those big kids from these schools, because we know in the state tournament, that’s what we’re going to see,” Hall said.
Fans wearing orange and black left The Jungle on Friday night smiling, and Hall said their energy helped fuel another Panthers victory.
“The atmosphere was electric tonight, that’s what we want to see back in this gym,” Hall said. “We want to have these crowds here the rest of the way and into the playoffs.”
Both teams return to league play Saturday. M-CHS travels to Pagosa Springs to face the Pirates, while Durango hosts Montrose in another Southwestern League test.
