Sophomore guard Ah-Dae Lang scored all 19 of his points in the middle quarters as Montezuma-Cortez pulled away for a 53-19 road win at Bayfield on Saturday night.
M-CHS ended a steady first quarter with a Lang-assisted three by senior Trace Hartsoe and a steal-and-finish from sophomore guard Royce Watts to take an 11-4 lead. Bayfield briefly gained energy when junior Trey Hall picked up two quick fouls, but the Wolverines couldn’t swing the momentum.
“Our bench, when they come in there’s no stopping,” head coach Michael Hall said. “We can keep the pedal to the metal, keep running. … I’m going to credit our defense and our bench for both wins.”
Lang ignited the second quarter with two three-pointers and 11 points, pushing the Panthers into full control. Watts, junior Kyler Wyatt and sophomore Justin Bane added interior scoring, and the Panthers limited Bayfield to just three points in the period. By halftime, M-CHS led 34-7.
Hall said his team settled in after the opening minutes and took control in the second quarter. He added that the team aimed to pressure the ball aggressively and keep Bayfield from spotting up outside. “I think we did it to perfection tonight,” he said.
Returning after early foul trouble, Trey Hall started the third quarter by assisting Lang on another triple. Moments later, he delivered one of the night’s highlights. After passing to junior Asher Bennetts on the right wing, Hall cut baseline, took a return feed and threw down a two-handed dunk to stretch the lead to 41-9 with 4:47 remaining.
Bayfield junior guard Hayes Malone hit the Wolverines’ first three-pointer to reach double digits. Even after Hall picked up another foul, the Panthers kept rolling. Hartsoe scored on consecutive drives, and Lang added his final three of the game. Bayfield junior reserve Henry Ferrell answered with a late cut and finish off a Drew Jepson pass, but the Panthers maintained control.
The Panthers, carrying a 50-14 advantage into the fourth, slowed the tempo. Hall added the final basket, while Bayfield senior reserve forward Brody LaVenture made one of two free throws and sophomore forward Cade Grover scored with 6.2 seconds left.
Hartsoe scored nine points for M-CHS, while Watts had seven and Hall added six. Bennetts and senior Wyatt Oliver each scored four, and Bane and Wyatt added two apiece.
Bayfield sophomore guard Harrison Williams scored five points, all before halftime, and Ferrell finished with four. Bayfield went 2-for-6 from the free-throw line; M-CHS went 4-for-5.
The victory moved the Panthers to 17-0 overall and 6-0 in Intermountain League play. They will travel to La Jara on Friday to face Centauri before heading to Alamosa on Saturday.
“Obviously it’s always hard to go to the Valley and play,” Hall said, “but we’re looking forward to it.”
Bayfield will host AHS on Friday before traveling to CHS on Saturday.
