Douglas High boys basketball had its chances against Durango Friday night in the Nevada Class 5A boys state semifinals.
At the first half, the Tigers trailed by seven, 22-15, and had shown the ability to keep pace with the Trailblazers.
However, Durango took charge in the second half, outscoring Douglas 48-23 over the final 16 minutes to run away with a 70-38 win.
For the Tigers, it marks the second consecutive season where they’ve drawn the curtain on the year as a top four team in the state.
It’s been 44 years since the Tigers’ have had such a successful two-year stretch.
The last time Douglas High boys basketball had back-to-back appearances in the state tournament were the 1978-1979 seasons.
Hanging tough
Douglas opened the contest with the lead after Thomas McDowell knocked down a triple in the corner.
After Durango answered with the next eight points, Jeremiah Pitts checked in and drained a 3-pointer of his own from the wing.
The Tigers trailed 10-6 after the first quarter only due to some missed shots around the rim.
Caden Thacker used a pump fake and drive to bring the Tigers within two, 10-8, with 6:55 left in the half.
A JC Reid layup was the last bucket for Douglas until inside of the final minute of the half.
Theo Reid deposited a two to end the Durango run at 20-12 before Thacker was able to heave a half-court shot for three as time expired.
After the buzzer-beater, Douglas trailed 22-15 at the break.
"You can't turn the ball over against a team like that. , they were able to get to the middle of the key and get scores. That's the one thing we try to pride ourselves on. ... That was a big spot there."
From there, it was all Durango as the Trailblazers went on to outscore Douglas 23-10 in the third quarter to extend their lead to 45-25.
"Durango is just athletic, man. They're very, very patient with everything they do," said Douglas High head coach Corey Thacker. "We just made a couple mistakes that third quarter and it blew up the lead a little bit, but our kids kept battling the entire game."
The fourth quarter was similar as Durango extended its lead by attacking the Tigers' 2-3 zone.
Durango will go on to play Liberty for the Class 5A state title Saturday at 3:30 p.m. at Thomas and Mack. Liberty bested Bishop Manogue in the later state semifinal.
The Tigers will graduate five members of this year’s team in the spring – Theo Reid, JC Reid, Aden Flory, Jack Tolbert and Thomas McDowell.
Editor's note: This is a breaking news story and will continue to be updated.
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