Pueblo Central boys basketball upsets Pagosa Springs 67-61 to advance to Great 8
The Pueblo Central Wildcats beat No. 5-seeded Pagosa Springs Pirates 67-61 Monday night to advance to the Great 8 of the CHSAA Class 4A basketball playoffs.
In a back-and-forth contest that saw Central come back from several deficits, the Wildcats found a way to navigate the game's momentum swings to come out on top.
Wildcats weather rough seas in the first half
Things seemed to be going Central's way early on in the game, as the Wildcats came on fast and built an early lead in the first quarter. Central seemed to have the momentum in its favor, but the Pirates quickly made their way back to take a 14-11 lead by the end of the first quarter.
Pagosa Springs seemed to find its stride in the second quarter, hitting shots and forcing the Wildcats into mistakes. But just as the Pirates did in the opening quarter, the Wildcats responded.
Central rode the wave of momentum and its shots started falling like a rainbow after a storm. The Wildcats took a slim 32-30 lead into halftime.
More:Takeaways from Pueblo Central’s dominant first-round playoff win over Middle Park
Central overcomes foul trouble to make Pirates walk the plank
The second half was largely a struggle for the Wildcats.
At one point midway through the third quarter, the Pirates had taken a four-point lead and seemed well on their way to controlling the game.
However, Xavier Davis and Luke Beltran made clutch plays and hit some critical shots to keep the game close. The Wildcats had to battle to maintain their lead but took a 49-48 advantage into the the final quarter.
The fourth quarter saw much of the same back-and-forth action, but the Wildcats made big plays when it mattered most.
After Xavier Davis hit two free throws to tie things up with about three minutes remaining, it seemed the game could go either team's way. But Beltran, Xavier and LaDamien Davis stepped up, hitting one bucket after another and playing lockdown defense on the Pirates.
With about 30 seconds left in the game and the Wildcats up four, Beltran came away with a huge steal and dumped it off to Xavier, who was fouled and sent to the line to extend the lead.
The Wildcats put the finishing touches on the game for a 67-61 victory, earning a second consecutive Great 8 berth.
Central will have its sights set on another upset Friday evening in a matchup against No. 4-seeded Eagle Ridge Academy at the Denver Coliseum.
More:Pueblo Central's Xavier Davis hopes to follow Betts, Williams to college ranks
Christopher Abdelmalek is a sports reporter for the Pueblo Chieftain and can be reached at cabdelmalek@gannett.com or on Twitter @chowebacca
This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Pueblo Central upsets Pagosa Springs 67-61 to advance to Great 8
