Preview: Bayfield Wolverines vs. Pagosa Springs Pirates
After three games on the road, Bayfield is heading back home. They will take on the Pagosa Springs Pirates at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday. Bayfield comes in on a streak of failing to score more than 25 points in their last three games, a trend the team is of course eager to reverse.
Bayfield suffered their biggest defeat yet this season on Thursday. They were beaten by Ignacio 58-18. Bayfield has struggled against Ignacio recently, as their game on Thursday was their sixth consecutive lost matchup.
Renae Foutz was Bayfield's leading scorer, having posted seven points.
Genesis Barrera held things down on the boards with 11 rebounds. She took the lead distributing the ball, coming up with an assist.
Meanwhile, Pagosa Springs came tearing into Friday's contest with eight straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 14.3 points) and they left with even more momentum. They strolled past Alamosa with points to spare, taking the game 41-26. 41 seems to be a good number for Pagosa Springs as the squad scooped up a victory with the same number of points in their previous game.
It was another big night for Elizabeth Currier, who scored 18 points. The team also got some help courtesy of Karsyn Shahan, who scored eight points along with six rebounds and three steals.
Bayfield bumped their record down to 3-7 with that defeat, which was their fourth straight on the road. Those losses could be blamed on the team's offensive performance across that stretch, as they only averaged 17.8 points per game. As for Pagosa Springs, their victory bumped their record up to 10-3.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Bayfield have been smashing the glass this season, having only averaged 24.6 rebounds per game. It's a different story for Pagosa Springs, though, as they've been averaging only 22.2 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Bayfield ended up a good deal behind Pagosa Springs in their previous meeting back in February of 2023, losing 37-18. Can Bayfield avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
