Ash Grove Pirates split two games, fall on Senior Night

Lady Pirates look to finish regular season strong after taking Senior Night victory against Stockton
The Ash Grove High School boys’ and girls’ basketball teams both played two games each last week, winning one and losing the other.
The Pirates hosted Stockton on Friday, Feb. 14, but fell to the Tigers on Senior Night, 47-28.
Ash Grove didn’t find the bucket in the first quarter, watching as Stockton raced out to an early 8-0 lead, but did respond with eight points in the second quarter to cut the lead to 22-8. In the third quarter, the Pirates were able to score nine points, but Stockton added another 12 points to their total to increase their lead to 34-17. Ash Grove scored 11 points in the fourth quarter, but Stockton answered with 13 points to secure the 47-28 win.
“We just really struggled to get good looks early and when we did, we didn’t make them,” said head coach Grant Williamson. “Credit to Stockton’s defense for making things challenging.”
Kyler Reece had 12 points for Ash Grove in the loss.
The Pirates started the week by traveling to Marionville on Tuesday, Feb. 11, and came home with a 56-35 win.
Ash Grove led 13-6 after the first quarter and 25-13 at the half. A 19-point third quarter propelled the Pirates to a 44-26 lead. In the fourth, Ash Grove continued to shoot well, adding an additional 12 points to their total for the 21-point victory.
“Our guys really played with great teamwork and togetherness on the offensive end,” said Williamson. “Some of our best possessions of the season were in this game. It was a great team win from everyone who played.” 
Easton Rust paced Ash Grove with 18 points and Reece added 16 points in the win.
The Pirates are now 12-12 on the season and are looking to finish up the regular season this week with games at home against Skyline last night and Buffalo tomorrow night.
    
Girls
The Lady Pirates hosted Stockton on Friday’s Senior Night and walked away with a 23-point victory, 53-30.
It was a competitive first half, with Ash Grove holding a 19-13 first quarter lead and then increasing that to 26-15 at the half. The game really began to turn around in the third quarter, as the Lady Pirates held Stockton to just three points, while scoring 11 points of their own to increase their advantage to 37-18. In the fourth quarter, the Lady Tigers found their shooting touch scoring 12 points, but Ash Grove answered with 16 points to take the game by 23.
Bristol Lathrop led the way with 16 points, Cora Duit added 13 points and Millison Sapp ended the game with 10 points.
The Lady Pirates traveled to Marionville on Monday, Feb. 10, and returned home with a 64-54 loss.
Marionville led 18-10 after the first quarter but the Lady Pirates answered back with 14 points in the second quarter to cut the lead to 30-24 by halftime. The Lady Pirates were shooting extremely well in the third quarter, hitting for 20 points to turn that six-point deficit into a one-point lead, 44-43, heading into the final quarter of play. In the fourth, the Lady Comets caught fire and never stopped, scoring 21 points to take the game by 10 points.
Sapp led Ash Grove with 21 points, Lathrop had 13 points and Duit added 12 points.
Ash Grove is now 16-7 on the season and will finish the regular season with two home games against Skyline on Monday and Buffalo tomorrow night.