Good enough to sneak into last season’s CHSAA Class 3A Girls’ Basketball State Tournament as the No. 29 seed in the opening Round-of-32, but not strong enough to then upset fourth-seeded Cedaredge, Ignacio’s Lady Bobcats, young as most of the team was, at the very least gained extra experience which hopefully will come in handy this winter.
And without a pair of Colorado Coaches of Girls’ Sports All-State selections, a vital post presence and an important reserve – all since graduated – head coach Travis Nanaeto knows some big shoes need filling for the 2025-26 run. But between his returning varsity players and an influx of youth, volunteers to do so shouldn’t be in short supply.
“This year I have, like, nine freshmen that came in,” he estimated during a preseason interview on Thursday, Dec. 4, “nine juniors and a couple seniors. Maybe one sophomore, but that’s about it. I’ve got a young bunch and so we’re getting things in order. Got a lot of things to work on, but we’re doing pretty good.”
Joined on the bench by new assistant coach Stephanie Goodtracks and new JV skipper Gabriela Garcia, Nanaeto will look, at present, to build his squad around senior guard Alyssa Atencio and senior guard/forward Juliann Avila – the on-paper replacements for CCGS selections Marissa Olguin and Victoria Brown, respectively.
Guard/forward DaLaney Wesner also finished her IHS career last season, as did backup forward/center Addison Kremer, allowing now-junior F/C Catori Aasland to contend for a starting role in ’25-26. Classmate Aubree Lucero received more and more minutes as the ’24-25 grind began winding down, and is also poised to potentially join Nanaeto’s first five.
Junior guard/forward Maliyah Martinez, sophomore post Veronica Brown and junior guard Leandra Litz could also be in the mix as Ignacio looks to build upon last winter’s 8-15 record – which included a fifth-place 4-8 mark in 3A/4A Intermountain League play.
“We’re going to see how it works,” said Nanaeto, who hinted a couple freshmen may actually be in his initial few lineups once action begins Tuesday, Dec. 9, with a visit from 2A Mancos, “and I’m hoping these girls get ready to progress towards the end of the year.”
“We’re working hard, with a lot more conditioning,” he said. “Because for the young girls this is high-school basketball, not junior-high, and they’ll play girls a lot older so I’m telling them ‘Just toughen up!’”
Tip-off time against MHS was scheduled for 6 p.m., with the Lady Jays – who lost their first six games last winter before finishing 6-6 in the 3A/2A/1A San Juan Basin and ultimately 7-13 overall – having already seen their first action on the 5th against the two-day Sargent tournament’s host team.
“So I’m going to watch that,” Nanaeto said, “on the NFHS (Network) … to get us ready for those guys.”
Results from inside IHS Gymnasium were unavailable at press time.
After facing Mancos, a ‘Receiving Votes’ team in the preseason CHSAANow.com Class 2A rankings (Sargent checked in at No. 6), Ignacio will then venture into the San Luis Valley to compete at Center’s 12/12-13 C-Town Showdown. Awaiting the Lady ’Cats at 8 p.m. on its first day will be Blanca-based Sierra Grande (a ‘Receiving Votes’ crew in 1A, as are the 2A Lady Vikings), which went 6-0 in the 1A Southern Peaks last season and ended up 14-10 overall after losing to Cheyenne Wells in the Class 1A State Tournament’s Round-of-32.
“I’m glad we’re playing two schools there; I’m hoping to be even with them, you know?” Nanaeto said. “And get a little experience for our younger ones, to get them ready for the Aztec tournament.”
Indeed, IHS’ next stop after Center will be Aztec, New Mexico’s Rumble in ‘The Jungle,’ Dec. 18-20.
“We’ll play Piedra Vista in the first round, see how that goes,” Nanaeto said.
After going 3-8 in NMAA District 1-5A and 12-17 overall – after a harsh 106-22 loss to Hobbs in the NMAA/Nusenda Credit Union Girls’ Basketball State Championships’ opening Round-of-16 – in 2024-25, the Lady Panthers were to get ’25-26 underway in the Land of Enchantment at defending 4A State Champion Gallup’s 50th Annual John Lomasney Invitational, Dec. 4-6.