Sharp-shooting Durango buries Spring Valley

By Case Keefer (contact)

Thursday, Jan. 5, 2012 | 11 p.m.

A conversation Joe Tuss had with Durango basketball coach DeShawn Henry at the end of last season stuck in the senior’s mind.

Henry told Tuss that the Trailblazers would count on him heavily this year in terms of production and leadership.

“Some nights, it may be to hit the shots,” Henry said. “Some nights, it may be for him to rebound. Some nights, it may be for him to guard the best player. His role changes.”

Tuss did it all Thursday night in a 79-68 victory over Spring Valley, proving that he’s lived up to the expectations Henry set for him so far this season. Tuss led the Trailblazers with 22 points and 14 rebounds.

He pulled host Durango away in the third quarter by draining two 3-pointers during a definitive 17-5 run.

“After me and Tre Wells knocked down a couple, the team just started going,” Tuss said. “The team builds off me and Tre. So once we hit those couple of big shots, we started moving.”

Wells, a junior guard, also hit two 3-pointers during the run. As a team, Durango sank nine shots from beyond the arc.

Most of them came in the second half to bury the Grizzlies, who were ahead by as many as 8 in the second quarter.

“Our defense was kind of lackluster,” Henry said, “but we shot the ball well in the second half and that kind of saved us.”

Durango’s hot hands overwhelmed Spring Valley. Durango seemed to have five players in the game who could score from anywhere on the floor at all times.

It’s one thing when shooting guards like Wells, who had 13 points, and Tyler Watts, who finished with 17, carve a team up from the outside. It’s another thing all together when a 6-foot-7 player like Tuss routinely steps back successfully.

But that’s the way Tuss has molded his game. He’s as versatile as any high school basketball player in the valley.

“My dad, at a young age, was telling me to shoot even though he knew I was going to be tall,” Tuss said. “I was just getting ready for it. I was preparing myself.”

The Trailblazers were able to overcome a game-high 24 points from Spring Valley senior DeShaun Nowlin. The victory improves Durango’s Southwest Division record to 2-1, ahead of Spring Valley’s 2-2 mark.

It was a pivotal victory because the two teams are both expected to be in the mix for a playoff berth.

“It was huge win because they are such a good team,” Henry said.

Durango’s lone division loss came to Bishop Gorman in a 93-53 shellacking a month ago. Spring Valley faces Gorman Friday in a high school showcase game — a contest between Findlay Prep and California’s Stoneridge Prep precedes it — at 8 at South Point Arena.

“We had Gorman and that put our hopes down,” Tuss said. “This game and the Sierra Vista game put our hopes back up.”

Tuss hopes his breakout this season attracts attention from college recruiters. He said he had received interest from several schools including Air Force, Eastern Washington and Loyola Chicago.

Tuss has at least one important figure who will vouch for him.

“He’s our anchor,” Henry said. “We lean on him a lot.”

Case Keefer can be reached at 948-2790 or [email protected]. Follow Case on Twitter at twitter.com/casekeefer.