The Pagosa Springs High School Lady Pirates’ basketball season came to an unfortunate end after Sterling hit two free throws to knock the Lady Pirates out of the playoffs on Saturday, March 7.
“Every girl left everything they had on that floor and that is the exact way you would want to end a season, but of course coming out with the win,” wrote coach Sarah Osborn in an email to The SUN. “But at the same time, I think there was also a lot of pride in how they competed.”
Pagosa Springs came into the tournament as a 12 seed after going 10-3 in their final 13 regular season games.
They drew into the Sterling regional with a matchup against Skyview in the first round.
The Lady Pirates handled Skyview 37-15 on Friday, March 6.
The girls came in focused and executed, notes Osborn.
Addie Hittle led the team in scoring with eight points, Kaila Limebrook had seven, Amber Snarr added six, Lexi Campbell and Charity Domingo each had five points, Ximena Garcia added four of her own, and Liana Vega rounded out the scoring with two points.
Hittle led the team with 14 rebounds, Vega had 10, Snarr had seven, Garcia had five, Limebrook and Campbell each had four, Domingo and Bella Adkisson each had two, and Dawson Iverson had one.
As a team, the Lady Pirates had 49 total rebounds, nine assists, 14 steals and 15 turnovers.
Osborn notes she was especially pleased with the way the Lady Pirates rebounded in the contest. The girls only gave up one offensive rebound in the entire game.
“Everyone contributed in some way, and I think the team really fed off each other’s energy,” wrote Osborn. “It was a complete team effort and a great way to start the postseason.”
The win over Skyview set up a Sweet 16 matchup with the regional hosts, Sterling, the following day.
No. 5 Sterling beat No. 28 Rifle 63-39 on Friday.
The coach notes the Lady Pirates came into the game confident and excited after the win over Skyview had given them some momentum heading into the big matchup.
The Lady Pirates fell behind 9-5 after the first quarter and, after a 9-8 second quarter, they were down five points heading into halftime.
The Lady Pirates came out of halftime and outscored the Tigers 12-11 in the third quarter to cut the deficit to four.
In the final eight minutes of the game, the Lady Pirates fought back to tie the game with under a minute left, but the Tigers hit two free throws in the final minute to win the game 37-35 and knock Pagosa Springs out of the postseason.
Limebrook led the team in scoring with 17 points. Domingo added eight, Hittle had four, Vega had three, Garcia scored two points and Snarr scored one point.
Snarr led the team with nine rebounds, Limebrook had six, Garcia had five, Hittle had four, Domingo had three, Campbell had two and Vega finished with one.
As a team, the Lady Pirates grabbed 30 total rebounds, had nine assists, 10 steals and 15 turnovers.
“Both teams were making plays and going back and forth,” wrote Osborn. “In the end we had some good looks but just couldn’t get a couple of shots and free throws to fall, and they were able to convert on a few key plays late.”
Osborn emphasizes that, despite the loss, Limebrook, Campbell, Snarr, Garcia, Hittle, Domingo and Vega all played their best games of the season.
“As a coach you can’t ask for a better team or game where each girl rose to the occasion and played their best basketball at the end of the season when everything is on the line,” wrote Osborn.
There was obvious disappointment after the game, notes Osborn, but the girls took pride in the way they competed.
The Lady Pirates ended the season with a 14-10 overall record and 9-3 league mark.
The loss was the last time seniors Domingo, Campbell, Limebrook and Snarr put on a Lady Pirate uniform.
Osborn emphasizes that those four seniors mean a great deal both to her personally and to the program. They are the first group of seniors who played all four years under Osborn and were instrumental in building the culture and the program itself.
Each day they brought leadership, experience and great examples of what it means to work hard each day to the team at every practice and every game, notes Osborn.
“Their impact goes far beyond just their play on the court,” she wrote. “I could never replace these seniors one-for-one or any of the seniors I have had in my program.”
Despite their departure, Osborn is excited for the opportunity that it creates for new players to step up and fill their shoes. This year a ton of young players got the chance to play valuable varsity minutes and now it will be their turn to become leaders and contributors, notes Osborn.
“I can not express how proud I am of every girl that got to come and compete and how those that stepped on the floor in that final game put their full heart into every play and every possession,” wrote Osborn. “They are what make this all worth it because of who they are and how hard they play.”
jsellner@orourkemediagroup.com
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