Basketball Recap: Monte Vista Takes Loss Despite Strong Performances from Alex Marquez and Azariah Hurtado

Monte Vista and Yuma squared off in some playoff action on Friday, but Monte Vista had to settle for second. They received a blow as they fell 66-49 to the Yuma Outlaws. While losing is never fun, the Pirates can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Colorado basketball rankings (they are ranked 183rd, while the Outlaws are ranked 20th).

Azariah Hurtado and Alex Marquez certainly did their best on Friday to avoid the loss. Hurtado almost dropped a double-double with 14 points and nine rebounds, while Marquez posted 18 points. What's more, Hurtado also posted a 50% three-point shooting accuracy, which is the highest he's achieved since back in December of 2024. Darrien Archuleta was another key player, putting up seven points.

Pirates

Assists

03/07/25 vs Yuma	15
02/22/25 @ Ignacio	13
02/21/25 vs Montezuma-Cortez	10

Even though they lost, Monte Vista was working as a unit and finished the game with 15 assists. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their assist total in three consecutive matches.

Yuma's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Brody Sheffield, who shot 47% from the field to rack up 20 points in addition to five boards and three steals. Sheffield is on a roll when it comes to points, as he's now scored 20 or more in each of the last four games he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Alex Pensado, who went 6-for-10 on his way to 14 points and five steals.

Monte Vista has been struggling recently as they've lost seven of their last eight games. That's put a noticeable dent in their 10-13 record this season. The win was the third in a row for Yuma, bringing their record for this year to 19-5.

Monte Vista does not have any more games scheduled as of now. As for Yuma, they wasted no time getting back out on the court and have already played their next contest, a 47-46 victory against Liberty Common on the 8th.