Pirates split in Gallup

  • GHS senior Adam Garcia,1, with a successful lay-up, which was later called back, at a recent game at Miyamura High School. The Pirates are 1-1 after dropping a game to the Gallup Bengals, 72-44 then defeating Miyamura 45-43. They face a trio of home games this week starting with Kirtland Central on Tuesday, April 6.. Franklin Romero. - CC
    GHS senior Adam Garcia,1, with a successful lay-up, which was later called back, at a recent game at Miyamura High School. The Pirates are 1-1 after dropping a game to the Gallup Bengals, 72-44 then defeating Miyamura 45-43. They face a trio of home games this week starting with Kirtland Central on Tuesday, April 6.. Franklin Romero. - CC

GRANTS, N.M. - March madness actually begins the Pirate basketball season, not ends the season, this year at least as COVID-19 alters schedule. The Pirates opened their season with Landon Chavez as the new head coach, no stranger to the Pirate helm, as he was the interim head coach last season for the Pirates final six games of the season. Under his coaching the Pirates made it to the first round of the state tournament.

The Pirates opened their season with the number four ranked Gallup Bengals who mauled the Pirates 72-44 on Tuesday, March 31.

“Gallup was a hard-fought game, fatigue took its toll on us and we struggled in both the second and fourth quarters,” said Chavez. “However, I was optimistic with our play in the third quarter out scoring Gallup 21-12.”

Leading scorers for the Pirates were seniors Adam Garrcia, Nick Trujillo with 10 and Junior Isaiah Hernandez with nine.

On Thursday, April 1, the Pirates punched another ticket to Gallup as they traveled to Miyamura High School to face the 1-0 Patriots whom they defeated by two points, 45-43. The Pirates led the entire game and at one point were 15 points up however, they were unable to put the Patriots away at any point in the night. The halftime score of the game was 31-25.

Miyamura with steady shooting upped the tempo and were within five points of the Pirates, however, both teams were mired with missed shots, missed opportunities and debatable calls which led a close game.

“Against Miyamura we were off to a hot start and led the entire way. We faced some adversity along the way, but came out on top,” said Chavez. “It was refreshing to get our first win and have something to build on headed into this busy season.”

The final score was 45-43. High scorers for the Pirates were Nick Trujillo with 11 points, Adam Garcia and Isaiah Hernandez with 10 apiece.

Isaiah Hernandez, junior, who had two treys and several buckets inside said, “We got points when we needed to, we never let them take a lead on us. We’re still getting better, and we have a lot to look forward to.”

A lot to look forward to may be an understatement as the Pirates have 10 games left to play between now and Tuesday, May 4 when the regular season ends.

This week they host a trio of home games, they play Kirtland Central on Tuesday, April 6, St. Pius on Thursday April 8 and on Saturday, April 10, Due to COVID-19 restrictions there are no fans allowed to the games, though that may change if the county moves out of restrictions.

The lady Pirates are 0-2 after losing to Miyamura High School 52-29 and to Gallup High School 69-33. They face another tough night on Tuesday, April 6 against the Kirtland Central Broncos.