Over the last five days, the Pirates have gone 1-1 in the last two district games. This past Friday, January 19, 2024, the boys took on Crystal City and lost 72-62. The Pirates played one of their best games against a tough Crystal City team but a bad third quarter that led to the loss. Offensively, the Pirates were led in scoring by Freshman Phenom Seth Pierce, scoring 21 points and adding 8 rebounds to his stats. Junior Zach Perez scored 21 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 assists during the game. Senior Brandon Obando played with energy and effort that could not be matched by anyone on the court. That energy will not be on the stat line, but he did his job holding the leading scorer, averaging 22 points per game in District play to only 10 points. That's defense at its finest. The young Pirates fell short, but it's a building block for the future.
This past Tuesday, January 23, 2024, in a packed gym, standing room only, the Pirates beat the Natalia Mustangs 76-72 in overtime. The Natalia Mustangs, having one of the best teams in the last 20 years, gave the Pirates a run for their money. The Pirates started off playing fast and physically, which led to a 41-24 lead at half. During the third quarter of play, the defensive stopper, Senior Brandon Obando, went down with an ankle sprain and things got interesting. As stated before, his energy and effort will never show on the stat line, but his absence made the defensive scheme show some flaws that allowed the Mustangs to take advantage and claw their way back one possession at a time, leading to overtime. Offensively, the Pirates were led by Freshman Seth Pierce, scoring 25 points and adding 10 rebounds. Sophomore Chase Guevara scored 21 points, 7 rebounds and 3 steals. The night belonged to Sophomore Darius Garcia who had a coming out party, scoring 9 points, hitting some tough shots in clutch moments, while filling in for Brandon who went out with an ankle injury. With the entire City of Natalia in the gym, the Pirates overcame the unbelievable noise level and finished the Mustangs off in a thriller. Pulling off this victory in a hostile environment is a step in the right direction for the young Pirates. The Pirates will face the Cotulla Cowboys tomorrow, January 26 at 7:30 pm here in Lytle.
Overall Record 20-6
District Record 3-1