Pirates Earn League Win Against Cedaredge
The Olathe High School boys’ varsity basketball team bounced back in style with a hard-fought 68-59 victory over the Cedaredge Bruins on Tuesday night. The Pirates showcased resilience, teamwork, and sharp shooting to secure a crucial league win in front of an energized crowd on the road.
Game Recap
The Pirates started the game with intensity with a strong 30 second defensive possession followed by an effective offensive possession that ended with a 3-pointer to begin the scoring. The Bruins would immediately even things up and over time would take a small lead to end the first up 14-9.
That quarter would be the slowest quarter for the Pirates as they would kick things into gear in the 2nd. Wyatt Patterson would be the instigator with an offensive rebound, a put back 2, a steal, and a 3 all within the first minute to tie things up at 14-14. Cedaredge would answer back with two quick buckets of their own, but Elijah Gordon would cut their run with a triple. The Bruins thought they might sneak away with a lead but Jeyden Estrada and Jorge Lopez shut the door on that. The pair would go 5-5 in the quarter with Jeyden hitting a pair of 3's and put back layup while Jorge would own the paint with two tough buckets.
The game would be knotted at 32 before the half, but Isaiah Gordon decided it was time to strike going into the break, drawing a foul at the buzzer on a 3-point attempt and sinking each of the free-throws to take a 35-32 lead into the break, a lead that the Pirates would never relinquish.
In the 3rd, after a quick free-throw by Cedaredge, Isaiah would strike again this time with a made 3. Cedaredge wouldn't back down with a few buckets of their own, but Elijah and Jeyden would maintain the lead with a 3 for the latter and both a 2 and 3 for the former. Cedaredge managed to trim the lead to 3 but in the last 20 seconds the Pirates would create some havoc and convert 2 quick turnovers into layups on the other end to lead 52-45 headed into the final frame.
In the 4th Jorge would get things started with a quick free-throw followed by another Elijah 3 to push the lead into double digits (56-45). Some free-throws by each team would move things forward until the midway point when Cedaredge changed up their strategy and started to fire from deep to attempt a comeback as they would cut their deficit to 4 at 62-58 just under the 2 minute mark. But that was as cose as they would get as the Pirates would maintain their confidence and composure to gather key rebounds and hit critical free-throws to put the game away for good at 68-59.
Truly a team effort it was the most balance scoring output of the Pirates season as they ended with 3 players in double figures and 3 players sporting 6 points each.
Key Performances
- Isaiah Gordon: 22 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 1 block
- Elijah Gordon: 13 points, 5 steals, 3 assists
- Jeyden Estrada: 13 points, 2 rebounds
- Wyatt Patterson: 6 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 1steal, 1 block
- Wyatt Fritze: 6 points, 4 steals, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block
- Jorge Lopez: 6 points, 3 rebounds, 1 steal
Coach’s Comments
Coach Hill praised his team’s effort, saying, “This was a total team win. The boys played with heart and executed when it mattered most. We’ve been working on closing out games, and tonight they showed they can step up under pressure.”
Looking Ahead
With this win, the Pirates improve their league standing and gain momentum heading into their next pair of matchups later this week. Returning home, Olathe with take on Meeker on Friday at 7:00pm and Roaring Fork on Saturday at 3:00pm.
Fans are encouraged to keep the energy high and continue supporting the team.
Go Pirates!
