The Pagosa Springs High School Lady Pirate basketball squad surged to 8-0 in league play after victories against Monte Vista and Ignacio last week in Pagosa Springs.
With the wins, the Lady Pirates maintained their standing atop the 3A/4A Intermountain League (IML) standings and ascended to second place in the 4A Selection and Seeding Index.
“We are not looking at rankings or post season yet,” coach Sarah Osborn wrote in an email to The SUN. “As a team we are focusing on one game at a time and finishing out our regular season the right way. Every game we play is important and we can not overlook any team in our league.”
Facing Monte Vista on Feb. 7 at home, the Lady Pirates built a 15-5 lead by the end of the first quarter and never looked back while on their way to the 47-21 victory.
Leading the Lady Pirate offense on the night was Kylie Ketchum, who added 17 points, followed by Elizabeth Currier’s 11 points and Karsyn Shahan’s eight.
Amber Snarr led the team in rebounds with six total, followed by Shahan, Currier and Kaila Limebrook, who each had four.
Pagosa sunk six of 11 free-throw attempts and ended the night with 12 steals and 11 assists. The team limited its turnovers to eight against Monte Vista, who is now 3-4 in league play.
“These are two stats [assists and turnovers] we have been focusing on,” Osborn writes. “This shows me that as a team we are starting to play our best basketball. It is fun to watch and coach seeing the whole team connect on passes and handling pressure well in games.”
Hosting a motivated Ignacio squad the following day, the Lady Pirates again ran up a 10-point lead by the end of the first quarter that the Bobcats slowly chipped away at throughout the second.
By halftime, Pagosa led 25-20.
A dominant final half saw the hosts outshoot their opponents 28-7 to close out the Bobcats 53-27.
The victory was especially sweet for Currier, who, while adding 16 points to the team’s total, also counted her 1,000th career point — a milestone that brought the local crowd to its feet.
“Reaching 1,000 career points is a great achievement,” Osborn wrote. “It is a testament to your dedication, hard work, and everything you have put into the game since you were little.”
She adds, “What we love about this milestone is it not only celebrates Elizabeth’s accomplishments, but all the teams she has been a part of since freshman year who helped her reach this goal. I am beyond proud of Elizabeth reaching this goal, but even more proud of the characteristics she has shown that have gotten her there.”
In addition to Currier’s total on Saturday, Ketchum added 16 points and Shahan had 11.
Shahan led the team’s rebounding effort against the Bobcats, bringing down seven, followed by Snarr with six. Shahan also contributed seven assists.
The Lady Pirates sank one of five free-throw attempts against Ignacio, and finished with 11 turnovers and 17 assists, in addition to seven steals.
“The team played well against both Monte Vista and Ignacio Friday and Saturday night,” Osborn reflects. “We as a team made some huge progress in the parts of the game we have been focusing on.”
Looking ahead, Pagosa will travel to Alamosa on Friday to face the Mean Moose, who are currently 6-2 in league play and stand in third place in the IML standings.
The Lady Pirates defeated the Mean Moose 59-38 the last time the two teams faced one another.
Tipoff for Friday’s game is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. at Alamosa High School.
On Saturday, the Lady Pirates will travel to face Montezuma-Cortez—currently 1-7 in league play and in sixth place in the IML standings.
The Panthers lost to the Lady Pirates 69-47 on Jan. 25 in Pagosa Springs.
Saturday’s game is scheduled to begin at 2:30 p.m. at Montezuma-Cortez High School.
Anticipating those games, Osborn wrote, “The girls have done a great job of staying focused, taking it one game at a time, and enjoying the process. If they continue to do these things I believe they will find themselves where they want to be for the postseason.”
garrett@pagosasun.com
