Pirates beat Owls 75-64, Pierce reaches 1,000th pt milestone

Matthew “Moose” Lopez
Sports editor
The Lytle varsity Pirates continue their campaign through the regular season, beating the Hondo Owls 75-64. The Pirates currently sit in third place of the district standings with a record of 2-1 and an overall record of 12-10. 
In their win over the Owls on Jan. 6, the Pirates showed exactly why they’re a force in Medina County. Their fast paced offense was firing on all cylinders, keeping Hondo on their heels on offense and then their toes on defense. The Owls had a resurgence in the second half but Lytle dug in defensively to douse Hondo’s hope of a comeback.
“The momentum and energy went back and forth all night, and our defense once again set the tone, led by Weston Jackson and Diego Reyna,” Vela said. 
The offense was fueled by Chase Guevara’s 26 points and Seth Pierce’s 24. What capped off the win was Pierce scoring his 1,000th point of his high school career. The senior Pirate is a perfect blend of offensive superiority, mixing physicality bolstered by graceful work and elite basketball IQ to get his teammates involved on all three levels of scoring. Vela said the senior has been a major contributor to the team since he stepped onto the floor as a freshman.
“[Pierce has] been great on both sides of the ball and at times, probably not selfish enough for my liking. He’s a tremendous teammate who makes everyone around him better,” Vela said. “We definitely feel it when he’s not on the floor because of how big of an anchor he is for us, both defensively and offensively. He’s the voice of our team and does a great job getting guys where they need to be. I’ve truly enjoyed being a part of Seth’s journey to 1,000 points.”
On Friday Jan. 9, the Pirates first loss of district play 55-95 to Crystal City. The Javelinas are a top 10 team in the state so Vela knew this matchup would be an uphill battle. Crystal City set the pace from the opening tip and the Pirates couldn’t match their offensive production.
The Pirates are looking to bounce back in this week’s rivalry game against the Natalia Mustangs on Tuesday, Jan. 13 at Lytle’s gym then the Pirates will travel to Jourdanton on Friday, Jan. 16 to take on the Indians at 7:15 p.m.