GRANTS N.M. - The GHS Pirates boys’ basketball team had a heartbreak of a loss in a district showdown this past Tuesday, April 27 with the number two ranked team in the state, the Highland Hornets. After a slow start where the Pirates were down as much as 14 points in the first quarter they only trailed by 4 points at halftime, 23-19. The Pirates trailed by six at the end of the third quarter 33-27 and outscored the Hornets by 5 points in the fourth quarter to force a final possession showdown.
With 12.8 seconds left, down 1 point, 45-44, GHS head coach, Landon Chavez, put the ball in senior Nicholas Trujillo’s hands for the final shot. Trujillo dribbled down the right side and just inside the 3-point line let go on a jumper.
“It felt good to me as I let go of it, it just didn’t go our way at our end,” said Trujillo of his last second shot.
The ball hit the outside of the rim and bounced high for a couple of seconds before it was rebounded by junior Colton Moore who attempted an unsuccessful tip in---as the clock expired. With that the Pirates attempt to hand the Hornets their third loss of the season drew to a close.
“Having the ball in our best players hands with the go ahead shot is all you can ask for,” said Coach Chavez of the game. Chavez concluded by stating, “We found the resiliency and grit to fight back and make it a close finish.”
The Pirates hosted the Belen Eagles (1-11, 0-7), on Thursday, April 29 and defeated them 59-39. With that last district game the Pirates wrapped up this short and unprecedented season with a record of 5-7 and 4-4. The Pirates will lose 6 seniors to graduation this year, Adam Garcia, Nicholas Trujillo, Jaden Madrid, Terrell Hocker, Cyler Aragon and Bryan Hernandez.
The lady Pirates basketball team ended up the season 2-10 and 2-6 after defeating the Belen Eagles 45-32 on Thursday, April 27. Ebony Chavez, a sophomore post player, said,
“It was a struggle at the beginning, once we started to get out practice for games, I feel at the end of the year it started to come.” Chavez summed up the season by stating, “I feel last nights’ game (Belen) was a statement next year and what is to come.” The lady Pirates graduated one senior, Kristina Simpson.
In other sports the GHS boy’s baseball team played a double header on May 1 and split with Kirtland Central. They won the first game, 13-11, and lost the second game 10-6. Currently the Pirates are 4-4. The lady Pirate softball team is 0-4 after dropping a both games of a double header (27-0, 20-0) to the Gallup Bengals on May 1 also.