Seven wins, zero losses.
Five wins, zero losses.
Those are the records of the Durango High School and Pagosa Springs girls basketball teams, respectively, as they enter a big regional showdown at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the DHS gym.
“It’s the battle of the unbeatens. They are one classification below us, but they have a strong reputation through the state,” DHS head coach Tim Fitzpatrick said. “It’s one of those games that definitely can help us down the line.”
The Pirates will enter Tuesday night ranked No. 3 in the Class 3A poll on CHSAANow.com, and they’ve received two first-place votes. The Pirates reached the state championship game a year ago, losing to Holy Family 52-45. That loss ended the Pirates’ perfect season and sent them home at 25-1.
“We have a lot of respect for (coach Wes Lewis) and Pagosa,” Fitzpatrick said. “They do a great job over there in basketball, and we’re looking forward to playing them and see where we are.”
DHS, the first team receiving votes outside the top 10 in the CHSAANow.com Class 4A poll, is in the midst of a renaissance season of sorts. At 7-0 and with a tournament win at the Pueblo County Holiday Tournament, the young Demons are confident and aim to reach a third consecutive state tournament.
“They’re proud of their accomplishments, and I think they’re looking forward to the rest of the season to see what they can do,” Fitzpatrick said of the players.
DHS has scored an average of 47 points per game, while Pagosa Springs is slightly better at 52.2. The Demons have shot 38 percent from the field.
DHS senior guard Katie Wiegert has averaged a team-high 13.6 points, and sophomore guard Katrina Chandler also is in double figures at 11.3 points per game.
Chandler also has been big grabbing hustle rebounds, averaging 5.6 per game. Sophomore post player Taylor Edwards leads DHS with six rebounds per game.
Edwards, junior Shilo Gillen and sophomore Stephanie Bayse also have contributed around five points per game.
Senior post Payton Shahan has led the Pirates with 17.6 points and 6.8 rebounds per game, along with 2.6 steals per contest.
Madison Lewis, a Pagosa Springs junior, has averaged 13 points and five rebounds a game.
“We know a bit about them and their style,” Fitzpatrick said of the Pirates. “For us, it’s more about us trying to get better for later in the season – to see a good opponent before we get into our league and coming back from break.”
jlivingston@durangoherald.com
