The Pagosa Springs High School boys’ basketball team continued to battle last week, notching two consecutive wins over league rivals Monte Vista and Ignacio at home.
With the results, the Pirates are now even in 3A/4A Intermountain League (IML) play and, at 4-4, stand in fourth place. The team is 6-12 overall.
“I think we’re playing better,” coach Wes Lewis reflected. “I think our defense has improved, and that’s been able to keep us in games.”
With their 53-34 victory over Monte Vista on Feb. 7, Pagosa’s Pirates avenged their Jan. 17 loss as the team “continues to improve,” Lewis said.
The Pirates led 9-8 at the end of the first quarter and 24-18 at the half. By the end of the third, Pagosa led 43-24, with that lead moving to 53-34 by the final buzzer.
“In the last month, we’ve really tried to simplify it … instead of having too much on the play sheet, and I think that’s helped,” Lewis said.
Back on court Feb. 8, the Ignacio Bobcats sprinted to an early lead in the game’s opening minutes before the Pirates rallied to take control and enter the second quarter ahead, 17-12.
The Bobcats kept within striking distance of the Pirates, though, and for the remainder of the contentious game worked at whittling their hosts’ lead down to margins as slim as two points.
“It’s two fairly evenly-matched teams,” Lewis said of the bout. “I was proud of our defense, again. We got some plays when we needed to, got some stops when we needed to.”
Midway through the fourth, the Pirates withstood successive three-point runs from the Bobcats that brought the score to within three points with less than two minutes of play remaining.
The Pirates countered Ignacio’s 12-point rally by adding nine of their own, closing out the visitors 51-45.
Reflecting on the games, Lewis called them “team wins,” and added, “Basketball is a team sport and the individual success doesn’t happen without a bunch of teammates to make it happen.”
In addition to more experienced players on the roster, up-and-coming Pirates Luke Kinsley, Jayton Ross, Bode Hubbard and Jeremiah Dean all received compliments from the coach.
Looking ahead, Pagosa will travel to Alamosa on Friday to face the Mean Moose, who are currently 0-8 in league play and sit in seventh place in the IML standings.
“They’re a team that’s like us,” Lewis said. “They’re hungry, they want to win, they continue to get better, and they’re playing teams tough.”
The Pirates defeated the Mean Moose 45-44 the last time the two squads faced one another.
Tipoff for Friday’s game is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Alamosa High School.
On Saturday, the Pirates will travel to face Montezuma-Cortez — currently 6-2 in league play and in second place in the IML standings.
The Panthers defeated the Pirates 55-48 on Jan. 25 in Pagosa Springs.
Saturday’s game is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. at Montezuma-Cortez High School.
