Update, Friday, Jan. 3: The game against Sanford is now scheduled for Feb. 21.
The Pagosa Springs High School Pirate boys’ basketball team will hit the road tomorrow for a two-game stretch of play at the Holy Family Invite in Broomfield, where they will face the hosts on Friday, Jan. 3, and Peak to Peak Charter School on Saturday, Jan. 4.
The tournament represents the conclusion of what coach Wes Lewis predicted would be a challenging stretch for the team, having faced 5A squads two weeks ago in Montrose.
The Pirates went 0-3 at that tournament, the Black Canyon Classic, bringing their overall record to 1-4 heading into Broomfield.
“We’re just going to have to get through this tough part of our schedule,” Lewis said after the Black Canyon Classic. “It’s just a different animal. The schedule wasn’t real kind to us this year. It was no one’s fault … it’s pretty challenging where we live. I’m certainly not blaming anybody, but it is what it is at the end of the day.”
At practices during the holiday recess, Lewis indicated the team’s focus would be improving shooting consistency from around the court and ensuring less-experienced players grow more comfortable with set plays.
“We’d like to get a little more consistently shooting the basketball from the perimeter as well as from the free-throw line,” Lewis said. “At the end of the day, we gotta shoot better.”
He added, “You know it’s a young team and we run a lot of different things — with offenses against man, with several sets — and I probably am trying to run about half the sets that we ran last year. Because we’re so young, a lot of the guys are still having a little bit of a hard time figuring things out as far as what to do in the different sets.”
Taking on Holy Family on Friday night, the Pirates will face a squad they last defeated in February 2024, when they won 51-45. Holy Family stands at 2-2 this season, having recently fallen to Peak to Peak Charter School 50-57.
Peak to Peak is now 5-0 on the season.
Lewis struck a positive note heading into the weekend’s contests, noting improvements he’s observed and praising the team’s competitive spirit.
“I’m encouraged,” he said. “Our guys are playing hard. Our guys are competing. Our guys are getting better defensively. We’re gonna be OK.”
The Pirates are scheduled to face Holy Family at 7:30 p.m. Friday, followed by a 1:30 p.m. game versus Peak to Peak on Saturday.
The squad will next enjoy home-court advantage on Jan. 7, when it’s scheduled to host 2A Sanford at 7 p.m.
The Mustangs are 6-3 on the season.
garrett@pagosasun.com
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