Montrose - Daily Press

OLATHE �” The Lady Pirates’ basketball squad will face Centauri at 7 p.m. Friday as part of hosting a 3A regional tournament.

The announcement comes after Olathe was crowned district tournament champion last weekend, defeating Coal Ridge (51-43) and Grand Valley (44-41) in Palisade.

While the Lady Pirates were familiar with their previous opponents, they haven’t seen or heard much about Centauri, said Olathe coach Paul Althaus. But winning the past two close games is an advantage for Olathe heading into Friday’s game, he said.

Matt Lindberg/Daily Press Lady Pirate Emily Brummitt drives to the basket during the third quarter of Olathe's game against the Bruins in February. Brummitt finished with 8 points and helped lead the Pirates to a perfect 19-0 regular season. Advertisement

“We’ve been told they are similar to us in size, like to press and use (defense) zones a lot,” Althaus said. “I think it was real important we had those (close games against Coal Ridge and Grand Valley) ... At this point in the season, you’re not going to have a 30-point win game. It’s good we can win under pressure.”

Centauri finished third in the Intermountain Division with an 11-8 record, behind Pagosa Springs (18-2) and Bayfield (10-9). Olathe, however, isn’t taking its opponent lightly.

“The girls remember last year and how they fell short,” Althaus said. “They don’t get caught up in awards or accolades. We play with the attitude of taking it one game at a time, because we know we have several games to play before a state title, and we set out to achieve that.”

Also in Olathe on Friday, the Denver School of Science and Technology will face off against the Classical Academy (Colorado Springs) at 5 p.m. The winners of Friday’s games will play Saturday afternoon in Olathe. The team that wins both Friday and Saturday’s games will move onto the “elite 8” and come closer to an opportunity to contend for a state title.

Comments

LADY PIRATE MOM wrote on Mar 3, 2010 9:35 AM:

" You girls rock!! Way to come back this weekend & show us all how much you love the game and how great your competitive spirit is. We are so proud!! "




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