Pirates Take Second at Eddie Pena Tourney

  • Pirates Take Second at Eddie Pena Tourney
    Pirates Take Second at Eddie Pena Tourney
  • The Grants High School Pirates placed in second place at their home tournament, the Eddie Pena Holiday Classic, this past week. After losing to Magdalena High School (48-36) on Monday, December 19th they went on a 3-0 winning streak to wrap up year and are currently 6-5 as they go next week to the Gallup Tournament. Franklin Romero - CC
    The Grants High School Pirates placed in second place at their home tournament, the Eddie Pena Holiday Classic, this past week. After losing to Magdalena High School (48-36) on Monday, December 19th they went on a 3-0 winning streak to wrap up year and are currently 6-5 as they go next week to the Gallup Tournament. Franklin Romero - CC

A double tournament, Eddie Pena and Robert L. Daily Holiday Classic, at the Port of the Pirates kept basketball fans entertained and their schedules full this past week. Fans had a moment of silence during the tournament for former GHS boys basketball head coach Ron Bohls who passed away December 20. Bohls won two state championships with the Pirates and the GHS gymnasium is named “Ron Bohls Court” after him.

After a loss 48-36 to the Magdalena Steers last Monday in the first round of the Eddie Pena Holiday Classic, the Pirates home tournament, the team rebounded and went on a three-game winning streak. “Losing to a very formidable Magdalena team, there's nothing to hold our head about–with our three-game winning streak we are playing confident and poised basketball,” said GHS Head Coach Landon Chavez. “I am finding some continuity within lineups and getting the most out of each player.”

The Pirates defeated Miyamura High School 68-55 in the second game of the round-robin and then went on to defeat Laguna- Acoma High school 69-45 in the third game.

If three games in a row was not enough basketball the Pirates followed the tournament up with a sizable win over Shiprock High School, 87-33, on a regularly scheduled game on Thursday, December 22.

“We are excited with the wins however nowhere near complacent knowing we have a tough month of basketball ahead,” said Chavez.

The Pirates face the number two ranked team in 3A, Navajo Prep, in the first round of the Gallup Tournament next Thursday, January 5. “We know we have to be on our ‘A’ game to compete,” said Chavez.

The Laguna-Acoma Hawks boys also played in the Eddie Pena Holiday Classic and went 1-2. Laguna- Acoma ended with a 48-27 win over the Pine Hill Warriors, a 64-34 loss to the Thoreau Hawks, and a 69-45 loss to Grants High School. Curtis Paytiamo and Brian Silva were named All-Tournament for the Hawks.

The Magdalena Steers received the first-place trophy in the tournament and D’Shaun Vinyard was named MVP followed by Joe Zamora and Jeff Stateville who were namedAll-Tournament for the Steers.

For the Pirates, Ethan Wilie and Boudy Melonas were namedAll-tournament.

The Robert L. Daily girls basketball tournament was also played this past weekend and the Lady Pirates, the host of the tournament, placed third in the round-robin.

The lady Pirates were on a four-team winning streak before losing to Laguna- Acoma 49-47. The Laguna-Acoma Hawks, led by first year coach Daryl Mariano, took home the blue trophy and the lady Steers of Magdalena placed second. Laguna- Acoma’s Sylvia Gedman was named MVP followed by Erica Martin and Gianna Carillo. All-Tournament for the Lady Pirates were Ebony Chavez and Raelee Rougemont. The Lady Pirates Junior Varsity team also played in the tournament and took fourth place.