The Pagosa Springs Pirates came tearing into Saturday's match with nine straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 20.7 points) and they left with even more momentum. They strolled past Ignacio with points to spare, taking the game 54-37. Given Pagosa Springs' advantage in MaxPreps' Colorado basketball rankings (they are ranked 20th, while Ignacio is ranked 158th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Pagosa Springs to victory, but perhaps none more so than Blake Laner, who dropped a double-double on 15 points and 12 rebounds. Laner has been hot recently, having posted eight or more rebounds the last six times he's played. Another player making a difference was Ridge Wilson, who scored eight points along with eight rebounds.
When it comes to explaining why Ignacio lost, one person who can't be blamed is Gabe Cox. Despite the final result, he dropped a double-double on 21 points and 16 rebounds. Cox is on a roll when it comes to rebounds, as he's now pulled down eight or more in the last four games he's played. Phillip Quintana was another key contributor, scoring five points along with four steals.
Pagosa Springs' victory was their eighth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 11-1. Those victories were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 59.5 points per game. As for Ignacio, their defeat dropped their record down to 5-5.
Pagosa Springs and Alamosa will face off at 7:00 p.m. on January 19th without much rest after finishing up games yesterday. As for Ignacio, Ignacio and Bayfield will face off at 7:30 p.m. on January 18th without much rest after finishing up games yesterday. Hopefully Bayfield focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up 27 on Saturday.
