CORTEZ – There was only one more rung on the ladder left to climb, and on Saturday, Montezuma-Cortez made sure there were no doubts about its status as the Intermountain League’s new top cats.
The steady build over the last six seasons has been remarkable. Beginning in 2020, the Panthers finished fifth for two seasons, then posted back‑to‑back fourth‑place campaigns before last year’s runner‑up finish, all leading to this year’s dominance.
With three games still remaining on the IML schedule, no one can catch the Panthers, who added a 72‑54 Valentine’s Day win over Pagosa Springs in The Jungle to seal the program’s first IML title since the league was formed.
For most of the league’s history, Alamosa and Centauri competed for the top spot, each claiming four titles, while the rest of the league tried to chip away at their control. M‑CHS joins Pagosa Springs as the only other team to win a regular‑season crown, and now the Panthers can focus on trying to run the table.
The final score against the Pirates shows an 18‑point margin, but the game was effectively over after an opening stanza in which M‑CHS snuffed out any hopes of an upset with a 23‑2 start. From there, M‑CHS kept the visitors at arm’s length, never letting the separation drop below 20 points until the final moments.
Multiple dunks from junior Trey Hall deflated the Pirates even further, all to the delight of another packed house in The Jungle. Sophomore Royce Watts complemented Hall’s game‑high 26 points with a perimeter shooting flurry of his own to steady the Panthers when classmate Ah‑dae Lang left the game after a hard fall. Watts tallied a career‑high 14 points, one of four Panthers in double figures.
Seniors Wyatt Oliver and Trace Hartsoe added 10 points apiece, and on the holiday weekend, the Panthers spread the love around. Good ball movement, one of the hallmarks of the team’s 20‑0 start, once again created quality looks at the rim.
With only one more road game on the regular‑season schedule, Tuesday night in Ignacio, the Panthers have visions of big crowds continuing to pack The Jungle well into the postseason. M‑CHS sits No. 1 in the state’s Selection and Seeding Index 4A rankings, meaning the Panthers are poised to host a regional for the first time since 2018‑19 on the weekend of March 6‑7.
For head coach Mike Hall, though, that’s looking farther ahead than he’d prefer. With big goals still in front of his team, it’s all about the next game on the schedule. Perhaps a moment to soak in this milestone will seep in there, too.
