Durango boys fend off Coronado in double overtime

Durango forward Colton Knoll had a chance to win the game in the first overtime, but his 3-pointer was just off.

Knoll didn’t miss his shot in the second overtime.

The 6-foot-3-inch sophomore knocked down a corner 3-pointer that proved to be the game-winning basket as the Trailblazers outlasted Coronado for a 74-73 double-overtime home victory Thursday in their regular-season finale.

Durango will enter the 5A Southern Region playoffs as the No. 3 seed. Defending state champion Liberty is the No. 1 seed on a three-way tiebreaker, and Bishop Gorman is the No. 2 seed due to its win over Durango on Friday.

Junior forward Taj Degourville led Durango (16-6, 10-1 Class 5A Southern League) with 18 points against Coronado (15-10, 7-4). Knoll and senior point guard Tylen Riley each scored 17 for the Trailblazers.

“I’m glad for our guys because they fought the whole game,” Durango coach Mike Lee said. “They knew it was going to be a challenge. We hung in there, and we did what we had to do. I’m so happy for my guys because, through all the adversities, we’re still on top.”

Knoll made an impact on the other end of the floor, as Coronado had one more shot to win it.

The Cougars gathered a loose ball, and freshman guard Johnny Collins rose for a 3-pointer. But he was met by Knoll and Degourville, whose double team blocked the shot at the buzzer.

“We just had to keep our composure more than anything down the stretch,” Lee said. “We couldn’t foul (Coronado) because they were in the double bonus. We just have to learn to take care of the ball toward the end of the game. That’s going to help us moving forward.”

Overtime didn’t seem likely early in the second half with the way Durango’s offense was clicking in the third quarter. The Trailblazers rattled off an 11-2 run and led by 12.

But Durango’s offense went cold to start the fourth quarter. Trailing 56-45, Coronado scored the first 11 points of the fourth, and an emphatic one-handed dunk from sophomore forward Tee Bartlett tied the game at 56.

On his senior night, Riley scored two layups, his second coming with four minutes remaining to give Durango a 63-56 lead. But that was the last time the Trailblazers scored in regulation.

“We lost a little mental focus there,” Lee said. “It’s tough guarding against guys that are 6-10, 6-8, 6-9, but we can’t let that get by, because in the next game, we have to stick to every detail.”

Junior guard Josiah Cunningham led Coronado with 20 points, and Bartlett scored 16 before he fouled out in the fourth.

Coronado came out firing and with a balanced attack shooting the ball and driving to the basket, the Cougars held a 16-6 lead late in the first quarter. But Durango answered with a 13-0 run in less than 90 seconds to lead 19-16.

The Trailblazers’ transition offense was in full effect, capitalizing off a pair of Coronado turnovers to start several fast breaks to give them a one-point lead in the first quarter. Both teams traded baskets in the second quarter, and Durango led 39-36 at halftime. The first half featured four ties and seven lead changes.

The Trailblazers will host No. 6 Centennial to open the playoffs, and Coronado, the No. 4 seed, hosts Arbor View at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday.

“They know they can do it now,” Lee said. “They just know that they have to fight for it because nothing is easy at this point going forward. It’s going to be a challenge every game that we play.”

Contact Alex Wright at awright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlexWright1028 on Twitter.