The Plainview Pirates boy’s junior varsity basketball team went 2-1 in their most recent three games to improve their regular-season record to 4-3 going into the new year.
In their most recent of the three contests, the junior varsity Pirates stayed home to take on the Elkhorn Valley Falcons on Saturday, Dec. 20.
In a two-quarter game, the Pirates came out swinging in the first.
In quarter one, the Pirates offense found success as Elkhorn Valley struggled to gain its composure. By the quarter break, Plainview had built itself a commanding 15-7 lead.
Up by eight, the Pirates slowed down a bit in the second quarter, and the Falcons took full advantage.
As Elkhorn Valley found its rhythm, the Pirates saw their lead slowly start to fade away but managed to maintain their lead as time ticked down.
When the final buzzer sounded, the home squad had done just enough to hang and secure a 21-18 win at home.
Leading the way for the Pirates in their win over Elkhorn Valley were Kobe Maertins with nine points, Braedon Kment with four, Blake Foster with four, Bastion Curtiss with three, and Colt Hoffman with one.
One day prior to their win over Elkhorn Valley, the Pirates hit the road to take on the Laurel-Concord-Coleridge (LCC) Bears in Laurel on Friday, Dec. 19.
In yet another two-quarter game, the Pirates once again started out the contest hot.
In quarter number one, the Pirates were able to take control. Behind a 15-point offensive performance, the Plainview squad earned a six-point lead at the break.
Unfortunately, this time the Pirates were unable to hold on to their lead.
With just one quarter left to play, it looked like the Pirates were in prime position, but the Bears had other plans.
In the second, the Bears exploded offensively. While the Pirates were able to put up a solid nine-point performance, it wasn’t enough, and behind a game-high 20-point quarter, LCC managed to complete its comeback and earn a 29-24 win.
Leading the way for Plainview in its lone loss of the week were Curtiss and Kment with seven points each, Maertins and Hoffman each with four, and Foster with two.
Finally, to kick off their most recent three-game stretch, the Pirates battled the Madison Dragons in Plainview on Tuesday, Dec. 16.
Against Madison, the Pirates once again played just two quarters, but this time held control of the contest throughout its entirety.
In the first, the Pirates once again put on a successful offensive performance. With 15 points scored, Plainview earned a seven-point lead going into the quarter break.
After a poor first quarter, the Dragons were able to put up a better defensive effort in the second quarter, but it proved to not be enough.
So, despite only putting up eight points in the second quarter, the Pirates were able to maintain control of the contest through their stout defense, which allowed the Dragons just five points in the final eight minutes of play.
This stout second-quarter performance propelled the Pirates to a 23-13 victory in front of their home crowd.
Leading the way for the Pirates in their ten-point victory over Madison were Maertins and Kment with six points, Jaxon Lorenz with five, Foster with four, and Curtiss with two.