DEL NORTE — Boys Basketball in Del Norte started their second winning streak of the season with a 45-40 victory over Ignacio on Thursday night.
Entering the game both teams have been battling to stay relevant in 2A. Del Norte (10-6) has been back-and-forth with the likes of fellow members of the Southern Peaks League; Sanford (10-5) and Sargent (10-5). Ignacio (8-8) is second only to Mancos in their district.
When the action got underway neither team was willing to take a step back. Luke Cestone got Del Norte going early with 6 first quarter points. Cestone finished with 12 points on the night.
The first chapter ended in a tie, both teams with 13 points. But the tug of war didn’t stop there, it would continue into the second quarter with ties at 16 and 18 points. Izeah Peterson-Chillson would get the Tigers started on the path towards the game’s first meaningful lead with a lay-up.  Peterson-Chillson totaled 10 points. Del Norte would build that lead to a 26-21 advantage at the half.
Kade Glover opened the second half with a three-pointer followed by a bucket from Peterson-Chillson and just like that it was a double-digit advantage. With consistent pressure, Del Norte’s 10-point lead would spell the beginning of the end for the Bobcats.
Every time Ignacio whittled the lead down to a three-point game, Glover would drain another long distance shot to keep Del Norte just out of reach. It was Glover’s fourth that closed the third quarter and Glover’s fifth that widened the gap with four minutes remaining effectively shutting the door. Because as  it so happened those final four minutes would see a combined three points giving Del Norte the five point win.
It was a productive night for all three of Del Norte’s leading scorers Cestone, Peterson-Chillson and Glover each finished the night with at least 10 points. Glover led the Tigers in scoring with 19 points and five three-pointers.