Blue Jay Classic should feature another strong tournament field

Blue Jay Classic should feature another strong tournament field

December 15, 2001

BY JIM THOMAS
Journal Sports Editor

The annual Blue Jay Classic should be another good prep basketball tournament. The nearly weeklong event opens this Monday, Dec. 17, and runs through Saturday, Dec. 22. The only open day will be Wednesday night, Dec. 19, and on that night Mancos hosts Montezuma-Cortez High School JVs for a wrestling dual.

The varsity basketball Tournament games will be played in the Mancos Performance Center. The junior varsity games will be played in the Old Gym.

Mancos boys and girls varsity teams will play on Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday nights. The Blue Jay girls will play at 5:30 p.m. and the boys to play immediately following (about 7 p.m.). On Tuesday, the Jay girls host Durango JVs, a team they just played Tuesday night, Dec. 11 (after deadline). The MHS boys will tangle with Ignacio, a very good Class 3A team they nearly beat when they opened the 2001-02 season back on Dec. 4. The girls and boys host MCHS JVs on Friday. The girls and boys play Farmington High JVs on Saturday.

FHS JVs play MCHS JVs (both boys and girls) to open the tournament on Monday. The girls will play at 5:30 and the boys will take to the hardwood about 7:30. On Thursday night, Durango JV girls play FHS JVs and in the boys’ contest, Ignacio plays FHS JVs.

On Saturday, varsity action begins at 2 p.m with Durango JV meeting MCHS JV girls, Ignacio plays Cortez JV boys at 3:30 followed by the two MHS games against FHS JVs.

The champions, because this is a round-robin tournament, will be based on overall record. The second criteria for determining the winner will be best overall free throw percentage. MHS boys and girls won the tournament a year ago.

In the junior varsity portion of the tournament in the Old Gym, the event will open with the boys playing the preliminary game and the girls playing in the nightcap all nights.

Bayfield C plays Durango C in the boys game while Bayfield C tangles with FHS C in the girls’ contest on Monday in the Old Gym. On Tuesday, Mancos JV boys play Ignacio JVs (Navajo Prep JVs were on the schedule but were replaced when the Navajo Prep coach called to say he had too many ineligible players in order to compete, according to MHS Athletic Director Kevin Dimmick). The MHS JV girls host Durango C.

Action resumes Thursday. Durango C takes on Ignacio JVs in the boys’ game while Durango C plays Farmington C in the girls’ battle. On Friday, Mancos JV boys host Bayfield C while Mancos JV girls also play Bayfield C. On Saturday, JV action also begins at 2 p.m. Mancos JV girls host FHS C followed by MHS JV boys taking on Durango C. Durango C plays Bayfield C at 5 p.m. and Ignacio JV play Bayfield C at 6:30.

The Blue Jay boys and girls will then take a break for the Christmas-New Year’s holidays. They will resume the 2002 portion of the schedule on Jan. 5 when they visit Ignacio.