Pirates Fend Off Longhorns’ Late Charge to Claim Win

Before tip-off, Lubbock-Cooper High School honored all the seniors on the cheer squad and basketball team, along with their families. After the walkouts, the Pirates came out strong, quickly taking the lead in what initially looked like a lop-sided game. But once the Pirates’ pace slowed down, the Longhorns capitalized on some quick fastbreak points. By halftime, the scoreboard had tightened, though the Pirates still held a solid 35-23 lead.

After regrouping during the break, the Pirates stuck to their slower pace, trying to find good shot opportunities, but the Caprock defense kept pressuring them. The Longhorns scored a few baskets in the paint, but most of the Pirates’ points came from the free-throw line. 

By the 4th quarter, the Pirates offense started to get a little sloppy. With 4 turnovers that turned into fast break points and 5 3-pointers from Caprock, the Longhorns cut the Pirate's lead to just 5 points. All Lubbock Cooper needed to do was run down the clock, and that’s exactly what they did. Despite some nail-biting moments with turnovers and unanswered points, the Pirates held on for the win, 72-61.

Lubbock-Cooper Pirates’ Pierce Miller led all scorers Tuesday night with 19 points, Jayden Bush scored 15, and Bode Marshall scored 12.

Caprock’s Ayden Silva and Ishmael Espino led the Longhorns with 15 points, and Braiden Johnson scored 7.

The Lubbock Cooper Pirates make the trip north of Lubbock to face off against the Lubbock High Westerners on Friday, Jan. 24. Tip-off is scheduled at 7:30 p.m.