San Antonio, TX-

Both teams came out prepared to run a track meet. At the tip of the jump, both squads were with one mindset of getting the ball, and going pedal to the metal.

The Pirates would get two long jumpers from sophomore Jordan Balderaz to start the game, and Cole would answer with a trey from Kelby Backstrom to answer right back.

The contest remained close to start. Cole held a 14-9 edge, when Beckstrom would sink another three-pointer, his second of the first half, extending the lead to eight points. Cole would feed off it and end the quarter on an 11-4 run, to take the 25-13 lead into the second quarter.

Cole continued its quick fast paced tempo, outscoring the Pirates and spreading them out. Early in the second frame, top junior Trey Blackmore would get an iso play on the left wing and blow by his defender into the paint, and then punish the rim with a one-handed dunk.

Lytle would do it’s best to stay within striking distance. Sophomore Jordan Balderaz would get a tough physical jumper with plenty of contact down low, netting 13 of his 19 points in the first half. The Cougars still held a 40-26 halftime lead.

For a brief moment, the Pirates showed sign of momentum, getting back-to-back buckets out of the halftime locker room. Bryson Duty would put one in from in close, and Balderaz would connect on a sixteen-foot jumper, cutting the deficit to within 10 points, early in the third quarter.

That would be as close as Lytle would come the rest of the way. In a heated rush, Cole would explode for a 14-2 run, essentially putting the game on ice. During their spurt, Blackmore would show off his smooth range hitting two more three-pointers, Elijah Sexton would get an easy driving layup, and then Silas Livingston would steal the in bounds pass under the rim, and lay it up, prompting a timeout. The entire sequence made a game that was somewhat still in the balance, to decidedly out of reach. Cole now enjoyed a 54-32 lead midway through the third frame.

In the 4th quarter, Cole would see the lead grow as much as 36 points, when Kelby Beckstrom would connect from beyond the arc. On the very next possession, Lucas Vera would register a steal and go the distance for the uncontested layup, for the 80-44 advantage. The Cougars would easily put this one away, for the impressive 86-56 win.

Trey Blackmore had a game high 24 points and 8 rebounds, adding 4 treys. Silas Livingston had 17 points, and junior Adreall Ray logged a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds.

On the season Cole now stands 22-5, and is headed to the Regional round for the fourth straight season. Our staff has confirmed that they’ll be facing the Blanco Panthers, on Saturday evening at 6 p.m., at Littleton Gym for the right to move onto the Regional Semifinals.

Not to be forgotten in the loss, but the Lytle Pirates finished one of their most successful seasons, 21-6 overall. Keep an eye on the #830 and Coach Jacob Hernandez, as his young squad should be returning plenty of key talent to run it back next season. Jordan Balderaz led Lytle with 19 points and Bryson Duty added 13 points in defeat.