In a season of fantastic highs for the Montezuma-Cortez girls basketball team, the Panthers aren’t ready to get off the ride just yet.
Making the cross-state traverse to face No. 21 Meeker in the opening round of the 3A state tournament, Montezuma-Cortez could very well have started their first postseason game in nearly 15 years flat-footed.
The Panthers instead turned their contest against the Cowboys into a track meet. Montezuma-Cortez built a double-digit first half lead, but kept their foot on the pedal for all four quarters to fend off its Western Slope counterpart in a 70-60 shootout at Yuma High School.
The win sends Montezuma-Cortez to rarefied air in the history of the program, nabbing a spot in the Sweet 16 on the strength of the program’s first postseason victory in more than two decades, while also ensuring the Panthers their first winning season in that same time span.
Right from the outset, Montezuma-Cortez (12-10) went straight to the half-court pressure that wreaked havoc in the Intermountain League, generating steals and transition opportunities. The Panthers made sure to cash in.
Junior Taylor Whited sparked the first quarter scoring frenzy with six points, helping the12th-seeded Panthers gather early momentum and a 19-17 advantage through eight minutes.
The Panthers gained separation in the second stanza, with senior Markylla Jones pouring in eight points as part of a big run that spread the lead to 38-28 at the break. Freshman Milah Begay contributed five of her eight points in that stretch.
“We were letting out defense turn into offense. And while we couldn’t gap them, we made enough plays to hold on to the lead,” said Panthers coach Brad Wright.
In the third quarter, senior Savannah Haselroth took over and dropped in two of her four triples in the game. She accounted for 10 points in the quarter to keep Meeker (10-11) at bay. The margin remained 10 points, 53-43, heading into the decisive quarter, when junior Kalea Ogo scored all five of her points to help sustain the lead, while Jones scored four more to finish the game with 17.
At the end of the night, Haselroth’s 22 points proved to be the biggest difference in the game, as Montezuma-Cortez withstood the perimeter barrage from Meeker’s Ellie Hossack, who tallied 18 points.
Whited finished with 12 points for the Panthers, while senior Kayce Tom had six points.
“We had a good following to Yuma, and that gave us a good lift,” added Wright of playing nearly 10 hours away from the friendly confines of “The Jungle.”
It’ll be on the same floor that M-CHS will take an underdog role into the regional finals against fifth-seeded Yuma, which took care of Brush in the opening round.
Tipoff starts at 1 p.m. Saturday.
