The Pagosa Springs High School boys’ basketball team rebounded from a challenging stretch of the 2024-2025 season to snap an eight-game losing streak and go 1-1 while on the road last weekend against teams in Monte Vista and Ignacio.
The games represented the Pirates’ first conference matchups of the season and came on the heels of what coach Wes Lewis called a “rough streak” of the team’s schedule.
With the results, the Pirates stand at 2-9 overall and 1-1 in 3A/4A Intermountain League play.
Facing a strong opposing offense Jan. 17 in Monte Vista, Pagosa found itself down 17-25 at halftime and trailing by 14 heading into the game’s final eight minutes.
The hosts would go on to add 12 points in the fourth to close out the Pirates 51-36.
“We struggled a little bit offensively scoring the ball,” Lewis reported. “We had some easy ones we didn’t convert on that we needed to to keep it close.”
But with a message from their coach to “stay as positive as possible,” the Pirates rebounded one day later in Ignacio, where the team battled for its first conference victory of the season by defeating the Bobcats 46-40.
“It was kind of a back-and-forth game. I don’t think either team ever led by more than 10 points,” Lewis recalled, adding, “Our turnover count was pretty favorable, and I thought we rebounded the basketball a lot better.”
For the Pirates, the win came as a welcomed “sigh of relief,” according to Lewis.
“It’s been a while since we’ve had a win and it sure felt like it was good for morale,” he said.
Stats for the games were not available as of press time Wednesday, though Lewis praised Seth Zeigler’s rebounding efforts in Ignacio.
The Pirates sail into deeper conference waters this weekend as hosts to squads from Alamosa on Jan. 24 and Montezuma-Cortez on Jan. 25.
In preparing for those contests, Lewis explained he reminded the team what it did well to earn the win in Ignacio.
“We gave ourselves a chance to win because we did two things really well, as far as taking care of the basketball and rebounding the basketball, and [I] tried to just make it a point of emphasis to continue to do those two things to continue to help our chances,” he said.
Against Alamosa, 2-10 overall and 0-2 in 3A/4A Intermountain League play, tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday.
Montezuma-Cortez stands at 9-4 overall and 1-1 in league play. That game is scheduled for 2 p.m. Saturday.
Both games are set to take place at Pagosa Springs High School.
Then, on Tuesday, Jan. 28, the Pirates will take a break from league action to take on the 2A Del Norte Tigers in Del Norte at 7 p.m.
The Tigers are 3-6 on the season.
