The Pagosa Springs High School boys’ basketball team sustained two gritty losses against league opponents last week, falling to the Bayfield Wolverines on Jan. 31 and the Centauri Falcons one day later at home.
With the losses, the Pirates are now 2-4 in the 3A/4A Intermountain League (IML) and 4-12 overall.
“We’re not winning games, but we’re fighting hard,” coach Wes Lewis said. “Teams are having to realize they’re in a dogfight because we’re not going to go away easily.”
In Bayfield on Jan. 31, the Pirates found themselves down early after a Wolverine run of 3-pointers, but according to Lewis, “clawed our way back into it” and made it a tight, “seesaw type of game.”
The Pagosa offense added 13 points in each of the game’s first two quarters, with the hosts outmatching that effort only slightly, adding 18 and 14 points to the board by halftime.
The Wolverines built on their momentum throughout the third, scoring 12 points to the Pirates’ five, but the Pagosa defense would return the favor in the fourth quarter, limiting Bayfield to five as its offense rallied for 13 points.
Despite outscoring the Wolverines in the second half of play, it wasn’t enough to secure a win for the Pirates, who came up just short, falling 44-49.
“We were pleased with the boys’ effort,” Lewis said. “Kind of got that never say die attitude going on right now.”
The Pirates would draw on that attitude against the undefeated Centauri Falcons on Feb. 1 inside Pagosa Springs High School.
Still without varsity starter Colt Lewis, who injured his ankle Jan. 25, the first quarter of play saw streaks from both teams, with the Pirates countering a 10-point Centauri run with one of their own and ending the quarter tied 10-10 thanks in part to a tip in by Seth Zeigler at the buzzer.
Intensity continued to build throughout the second quarter as the teams exchanged leads four times, ending with the Falcons ahead 24-22 at the half.
The Falcons made the Pirates pay for early turnovers to open the third, sprinting to a nine-point run that would have their hosts playing from behind for the remainder of the game.
Pagosa chipped away at that lead throughout the fourth quarter, getting to within five points, but was outpaced by a Centauri squad that features five seniors.
The visitors would go on to outscore the Pirates 30-17 during the second half of play to preserve their undefeated streak with a 54-39 final score. The Falcons are now 16-0 on the season, sit atop the IML and are the No. 6 team in Colorado 3A boys’ basketball.
“The kids fought hard. I was proud of them,” Wes Lewis said. “It was a game that got away from us, but I was really proud of the effort.”
He added, “We’re certainly a little bit shorthanded as a whole on the year, and then we lose one of our leading guys, and we’re still fighting hard and competing and battling.”
As the league portion of the season enters its second half, the Pirates — currently ranked fourth in the league and 31st in Colorado 4A boys’ basketball — will get second looks at IML opponents beginning this weekend as they host Monte Vista and Ignacio.
Friday’s game against sixth-ranked Monte Vista (1-4) is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. in Pagosa Springs.
Monte Vista prevailed in the teams’ last encounter on Jan. 17, defeating Pagosa 51-36.
Looking ahead to that contest, Wes Lewis underscored the importance of quieting Monte Vista’s Azariah Hurtado, who — at 6 feet, 1 inch — dominated the court when the teams last played.
“He had a career night against us,” the coach reflected. “Some of that is probably a credit to him playing well and some of that is a credit to our defense not playing so well. We need to take better care of the basketball.”
On Saturday, the Pirates will host the Ignacio Bobcats at 4 p.m.
The fifth-ranked Bobcats, 2-4 in league play, lost their last encounter with the Pirates 46-40 on Jan. 18.
“Ignacio is a good team,” Wes Lewis said. “We aren’t looking past anybody.”
garrett@pagosasun.com
