Playing in the Bi-district play off game against Edna, the Lytle Pirates ended their season with a 50-58 loss. Finishing 23-7 overall and 14-2 in district, the Pirates had another great season and about half of the varsity will be back next season to continue the Lytle tradition of winning.
Coach Jacob Hernandez is proud of his team and had this to say about their finals team and this season, “Last night the Pirates season came to a close, losing to Edna HS 58-50 in the first round of the playoffs. The Pirates had not lost in the 1st round of the playoffs since 2018 so the early exit of the playoffs was disappointing. The three-year bi-district streak came to end at the buzzer, but this minor setback is setting up our junior group for a greater comeback next season. We will have four Junior starters return as seniors, and I expect big things from the class of 2023. The Pirates Achilles heel all season was free throws, and we missed nine which could have changed the outcome of the game.
Offensively the Pirates were led by Junior Jordan Balderaz scoring 14 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter, while Junior Jaelen Guevara scored 12 points. Although we fell short of our team goals, the boys had a good season overall with a 23-7 season record and a 14-2 district record. Seniors Jose Cortez, Daniel Aguirre, Damien Garcia, and Bryson Duty will leave this program as three-year lettermen with 3 playoff appearances, 2 bi-district championships, and an overall record of 62-14. Not a bad HS career if you ask me.
My staff and I would like to wish every student athlete good luck as they move on to their spring sport for the rest of the school year. Thank you to the Pirate Community, our HS admin team, teachers, and student body for supporting our boys all season.”
Edna was third in their district with a record of 10-4 and 19-11 overall. They lost to Cole, 44-58, on Friday night in the Area playoff game.
By Dicy Chambers
Sports Writer
Pirates end season against Edna
