The Durango boys basketball team has been hot from 3-point range and it’s been contagious the last few games. Saturday’s game against Grand Junction Central was no different; the Demons hit nine 3-pointers and cruised to a 62-38 victory.
“We just don't have that inside presence like we've had in the past,” Durango head coach Alan Batiste said. “But our goal is to get the ball inside and our inside is the free-throw line, catching at the free-throw line, and then coming out versus going into the post... So I don't mind the three as long as it's just within the fluidity of the offense... But they had the green light; I don't want to restrict them on offense.”
Durango improved to 11-4 overall and 2-0 in the 6A/5A Southwestern League with the win. Sophomore guard King Kerlin had 15 points for Durango. Senior guard Noah Miles had four 3-pointers and 15 points points. Senior forward Marcus Cullum also had 15 points for the Demons.
“I always say, if you score 50 points, you give yourself a good chance to win any high school basketball game against anybody,” Batiste said. “For those three to have 45 points and balanced scoring, that’s a beautiful thing to have.”
Grand Junction Central fell to 2-12 overall and 0-2 in the 6A/5A Southwestern League with the loss. Sophomore guard Adam Tabora led the Warriors with 13 points.
The Demons had a hot start thanks to their defense. GJC made some poor passes and Durango was ready to capitalize. The Demons went up 8-3 off two fast-break layups. Senior forward Otto Aaland found his shooting stroke from downtown and Durango led 11-3 with three minutes left in the first. A Miles triple at the buzzer put Durango up 17-5.
Durango’s length was on display to start the second quarter with multiple second-chance looks and scores. The Demons had seven second-chance points in the first three minutes of the second. Miles also got hot and hit back-to-back corner 3-pointers to put Durango up 30-14 with 3:33 left in the half.
The Demons moved the ball well against the GJC zone at the end of the second quarter. Aaland got the ball in the middle of the zone and kicked it out for a Miles corner triple. Durango led 35-16 at half.
Durango increased its lead to 44-22 with 4:40 left in the third. Marcus Cullum showed his range with two 3-pointers as Palisade continued to struggle to finish inside against Durango’s length. The Demons pushed the pace off misses; Kerlin did a great job of finding Cullum in transition for finishes inside. Only a sophomore, Kerlin can really cut through defenses with his speed and handle.
“When we get the rebound, he (Kerlin) has four seconds to get to the other side’s free-throw line,” Batiste said. “So I've been telling that since summer, and he's starting to take that into account and doing it. He’s seeing the benefit because not a lot of guys are as fast as him. He’ll start seeing it open up if he pushes the ball and puts the pressure on the defense, he'll start seeing easy shots coming in.”
GJC found some success at the end of the quarter from downtown but the Warriors couldn’t stop Durango’s penetration and the Demons led 52-32 after three.
Durango wasn’t as proficient on offense in the second half but it didn’t need to be with its large lead. The Demons stretched their lead to 24 points at various points in the fourth quarter as Batiste emptied his bench.
The Demons hit the road to play at Montrose on Friday at 7 p.m.
bkelly@durangoherald.com