CORTEZ – Through 15 contests, there’s very little that the Panthers haven’t seen.
M‑CHS head coach Mike Hall’s opponents have thrown everything at the Panthers to slow their high‑flying attack, with little success. And no one on the Western Slope has found an answer for their relentless defensive pressure.
Ignacio became the latest team to leave the Jungle puzzled after the Panthers rolled to a wire‑to‑wire 80–25 win Tuesday night.
The Bobcats entered with a plan: post standout wing Trace Crane to face‑guard Panthers leading scorer Trey Hall in hopes of disrupting the dynamic junior. The strategy limited Hall to two first‑half field goals, but containing the rest of the Panthers proved just as difficult.
Enter senior Wyatt Oliver.
The sturdy defender and rebounder delivered his best offensive performance yet, hitting three of his four three‑pointers during a blistering first‑half stretch. Oliver finished with a career‑high 16 points — his first double‑figure scoring outing in varsity play.
“We all know that we can get hot at any time – tonight was Wyatt’s night,” said Oliver’s classmate Trace Hartsoe. “When they tried to take away Trey’s chances, we just all step up and help.”
Oliver’s emergence reflects the Panthers’ next‑man‑up mentality, which left Ignacio scrambling to adjust. Meanwhile, sophomore Ah‑dae Lang continued his standout season, scoring off the dribble and from the perimeter on his way to a game‑high 20 points.
“We keep up the intensity in practice, because we don’t know who we’re going to face – but we know we’re going to do our best to deal with it,” Hartsoe said of M‑CHS’ preparation for Ignacio’s defensive look.
Crane finished with eight points — half his season average — and after Stoney WhiteThunder‑Lucero hit a three to cut the Panthers’ lead to 15–8 early in the second quarter, M‑CHS (15‑0, 4‑0 4A/3A IML) tightened up and never let the Bobcats get closer.
“We struggled a bit out of the gate, but we came out of the third quarter strong,” Hartsoe said. “We have the mindset of ‘we haven’t won the game yet’.”
M‑CHS led 36–17 at halftime, then held Ignacio to just four points in each of the final two quarters to secure the program’s sixth straight win in the series.
Despite Crane’s defensive focus, Hall still reached 16 points to match Oliver. Junior Asher Bennetts added 11 points, and Hartsoe finished with six.
Ignacio (7‑7, 0‑4 4A/3A IML) looks to rebound as it heads to Alamosa on Friday before hosting Monte Vista on Saturday. The Panthers begin a four‑game road swing with trips to Monte Vista and Bayfield this weekend as they wrap up the first rotation of the IML’s double round‑robin schedule.
