The 4A Pagosa Springs High School Lady Pirate basketball team will open the 2025-2026 season this evening, Thursday, Dec. 4, at the Wolf Creek Classic, and the Lady Pirates will be looking to establish a strong foundation early on the season.
“Our early goals are to establish a strong foundation: build consistency, execute our game plan, and continue improving each week,” coach Sarah Osborn wrote in an email to The SUN. “We want to set a competitive tone from the start and make sure we’re playing to our identity.”
Osborn adds, “Ultimately, our focus is on steady growth and making sure we are giving 100% ... each time we touch the floor in both practice and games making sure of that will position us well for the midpoint and postseason stretch.”
Helping the Lady Pirates toward that goal, according to Osborn, will be a “healthy balance” of returning varsity players and those new to the varsity squad.
“This year we have a healthy balance of returning varsity players and those new to varsity playing time,” she wrote. “Our returning varsity athletes bring strong leadership and an understanding of our system, while our newer varsity members add fresh energy, and competitiveness to the lineup. My hope is that our seniors and captains set the tone and the newcomers elevate the intensity.”
Osborn indicates the team is opening the season with a number of strengths, among them its work ethic, chemistry and strength.
“Some of our biggest strengths this year is our work ethic and how coachable our team is,” she highlights. “This group has been consistent and focused since before the preseason started. Team chemistry is another strength—this group genuinely supports each other, and that cohesion shows in how we practice and compete.”
That support will be on display as the Lady Pirates open the season at 5 p.m. on Dec. 4 when they take on the 5A Grand Junction Central Warriors.
The game will be the first of the season for both teams.
The Lady Pirates went 18-8 last season, and the Warriors finished with a 7-17 record.
The Lady Pirates will continue play at the Wolf Creek Classic on Saturday, Dec. 6, when they take on the Gunnison Cowboys at 1 p.m.
The Cowboys finished the 2024-2025 season with a 15-9 record.
The Warriors and Cowboys will face off on Friday.
Osborn indicates that, for the Wolf Creek Classic, she’d like to see the Lady Pirates “compete with confidence and maintain our composure in high-energy moments.”
She adds, “It’s a great early test for us with some built in challenges. We are looking for solid communication, strong fundamentals, and grit. It will be a successful weekend regardless of outcomes if we can approach these first two games with the same attitude, commitment, leadership, and team centered approach that they have been showing since the first day of practice.”
Schedule
The following schedule was accurate as of press time Wednesday, but is subject to change.
Following the Wolf Creek Classic, the Lady Pirates will be back in action on Dec. 13, when they host the Salida Spartans for a 12:30 p.m. game.
The Lady Pirates will then hit the road for the Black Canyon Classic in Montrose, where they’ll take on 5A Montrose Red Hawks at 5:30 p.m. on Dec. 18, the 5A Glenwood Springs Demons at 2:30 p.m. on Dec. 19 and the 5A Pueblo Central Wildcats at 10 a.m. on Dec. 20.
Following a hiatus for the holidays, the Lady Pirates will open the 2026 portion of their schedule at the Holy Family Invite in Broomfield on Jan. 2 and 3, 2026. There, the Lady Pirates will face the Holy Family Tigers at 6 p.m. on Jan. 2 and the Kent Denver Sun Devils at noon on Jan. 3.
The Lady Pirates will again be on the road on Jan. 13, 2026, when the Lady Pirates face off against the 5A Durango Demons at 5:30 p.m. in Durango.
The Lady Pirates will host the 3A Monte Vista Pirates at 5:30 p.m. on Jan. 16, 2026, to open play in the 4A/3A Intermountain League (IML).
League play will continue the following day in Ignacio when Pagosa’s Lady Pirates take on the Bobcats in a 2:30 p.m. matchup.
The Lady Pirates will again be on the road on Jan. 23, 2026, when they head to Alamosa to take on the Mean Moose in a 5:30 p.m. league game.
The following day, the Lady Pirates will host the Montezuma-Cortez Panthers for an IML matchup at 12:30 p.m.
The Lady Pirates will then host the 2A Del Norte Tigers at 5:30 p.m. on Jan. 27, 2026, before returning to league play on Jan. 30, 2026, when they host the 3A Bayfield Wolverines for a 5:30 p.m. game.
The following day, the Lady Pirates will head to La Jara for an IML matchup against the 3A Centauri Falcons.
IML play will continue on Feb. 6, 2026, when the Lady Pirates hit the road for a 5:30 p.m. affair in Monte Vista, and the following day, when the Lady Pirates will host the Bobcats at 2:30 p.m.
The Lady Pirates will host the Mean Moose at 5:30 p.m. on Feb. 13, 2026, then will hit the road the following day for a 2:30 p.m. game in Cortez.
The team will again be on the road on Feb. 20, 2026, when the team heads to Sanford to take on the 2A Mustangs at 5:30 p.m.
The team will finish the season with a pair of IML matchups, with the team hosting the Falcons at 2:30 p.m. on Feb. 21, 2026, and hitting the road for Bayfield to take on the Wolverines at 12:30 p.m. on Feb. 28, 2026.
randi@pagosasun.com
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