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Pirates Standing Tall at 9-3 -
Boudy Melonas, 3, at the line at the Eddie Pena Holiday Classic held at Ron Bohls court recently. The Pirates are 9-3 after the Winter break. Melonas was named MVP for the Pirates at that tournament. Franklin Romero - CC
“Beating Magdalena was a first for us in a few years,” Grants High School Boys’ Basketball Head Coach Landon Chavez said.
Magdalena High School (9-1) posed the greatest challenge for the Pirates at their tournament as they came in undefeated and the Pirates were able to hand them their first defeat.
The Steers led 19-16 in the first half and the Pirates managed to outscore them 9-8 in the second quarter for a score of 2725 score at halftime.
In the third quarter the Pirates outscored them 18-13 for a score of 43-40 and the lead for the Pirates.
In the fourth and final quarter the Pirates outscored them 21-19 for a final score of 64-59.
“Such a great morale win for the team,” said Chavez. “They tested us with their size and experience but ultimately our poise and resiliency paid dividends.”
Three Pirates hit 15 points each in that game. Boudy Melonas and John “JJ” Horacek had 15 apiece in that contest and Noah Victorino hit 5 treys for his 15 points. High scorer for the Steers was Jeff Stateville with 22 points.
Prior to the Magdalena game the Pirates played Laguna-Acoma High school (0-10) and defeated them 82-53. In that game Boudy Melonas has 19 points followed by JJ Horacek with 12 points.
“We are sitting at number five out of 28 teams in 4-A in the Maxpreps rankings as of [December 2],” said Chavez.
In their first game of the tournament the Pirates defeated Socorro High School (3-7) by a score of 75-63.