Basketball Game Preview: Cotopaxi Pirates vs. Creede Miners

The Cotopaxi Pirates will square off against the Creede Miners at 5:00 p.m. on Friday. Cotopaxi will be strutting in after a victory while Creede will be coming in after a defeat.

Last Saturday, Cotopaxi earned a 41-34 win over Sangre de Cristo. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Pirates.

Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Cotopaxi to victory, but perhaps none more so than Kenny Teter, who almost dropped a double-double on nine points and 13 boards. Teter is also on a roll when it comes to blocks, as he's now posted two or more in the last five games he's played. Joel Tezak was another key player, putting up 12 points and eight rebounds.

Meanwhile, Creede played a tough matchup on Saturday in which they were outscored in every quarter. They were dealt a 65-32 loss at the hands of Primero. The Miners have struggled against the Bulldogs recently, as the game was their fourth consecutive lost matchup.

Cotopaxi will need focus on slowing down Tyler Sliwkowski, one of several Creede players who made an impact when they last played. He posted four points. The team also got some help courtesy of Charles Heinrich, who put up two points along with five rebounds, five steals, and three blocks.

Creede's defeat dropped their record down to 4-7. As for Cotopaxi, their victory bumped their record up to 4-2.

This contest is shaping up to be a blowout: Cotopaxi just can't miss this season, having made 47.8% of their field goals per game. It's a different story for Creede, though, as they've only made 28.5% of their field goals this season. Given Cotopaxi's sizable advantage in that area, Creede will need to find a way to close that gap.

Cotopaxi strolled past Creede in their previous matchup back in February of 2022 by a score of 60-43. Does Cotopaxi have another victory up their sleeve, or will Creede turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.