YUMA – For a team that dreamed big all season, the Montezuma-Cortez girls basketball team didn’t want anyone to wake them up.
Historic wins over league opposition. The program’s first winning season in the lifetime of any of the current players. A new high-water mark win total.
The list of accolades for a feisty Panther squad could go on for pages. And while its state tournament dreams faded in Saturday’s 51-29 loss to Yuma, Montezuma-Cortez walked off the court for the final time with their heads high.
Less than 24 hours after another historic benchmark victory over Meeker placed the Panthers (12-11) in the Sweet 16 of the 3A tournament, the offense was unable to get things going against the fifth-seeded regional hosts, as Yuma (15-8) constructed a 26-12 halftime lead and pulled away in the second half to advance to the Great Eight at the University of Denver’s Hamilton Gymnasium.
The loss ended the careers of five highly-influential seniors in Savannah Haselroth, Markylla Jones, Kayce Tom, Trenity Tillahash and India Wright, a group the helped pave the foundation for future Panther success on the hardwood.
Haselroth’s 22 points and Jones’ 17 guided the Panthers to the 70-60 win over Meeker on Friday night. On the larger scale, the Panther seniors collected unprecedented success against league foes Centauri (beating the Falcons as members of the Intermoutain League for the first time), Alamosa (Montezuma-Cortez’s second win in the same span), a three-game sweep of Ignacio, and a top-three finish in league play for the first time as IML members.
The Panthers also earned their second season with double-digit wins in the past three years, further indicating the program continues to trend upward as a motivated new wave of players will take the helm next season.
For significant stretches of the state tournament opening round matchup with 10th-seeded Banning Lewis Academy, the 23rd-seeded Panthers (8-14) looked right at home, scoring in stride with the Stallions to keep pace in their 3A matchup in Meeker.
However, the well began to run dry during a stretch in the second and third quarters, as the Stallions stretched their lead to 20 points. The Panthers made one last push, but ultimately fell short 66-51.
The loss ended the careers of seniors Easton Hartsoe, Gael Garcia, and Raul Soto. However, Montezuma-Cortez showed promise for the future, improving its record over each of the past three seasons, while claiming fourth place this season in the Intermountain League and taking third in the district tournament.
