At the conclusion of the regular season, Page Men’s Basketball finished with a record of 10-13 overall and 2-6 in conference, placing the Pirates as the fifth seed in the conference tournament beginning tonight in yet another game against Grimsley at 7:30. The game will be played at Grimsley’s Sawyer Gymnasium, with the winner playing number one seed Northwest Guilford tomorrow at 7:30 on their court.
Basketball news unrelated to tonight’s tournament matchup is the Pirates’ record over the past week, faring 1-1 with a loss against Grimsley and a victory against Ragsdale to close out the season. The Grimsley loss took place at Mac Morris Gymnasium this past Tuesday with a final score of 55-46. Although the Pirates kept it very close most of the game, Grimsley was able to pull away in the fourth quarter and secure their second victory against the Pirates this season. The Pirate’s top performer in this matchup was Point Guard Jaden Ellis, who finished with 20 points on 46% shooting (6-13 FG), including three three-pointers. Ellis also finished with three rebounds and assists, as well as two steals. After the loss against Grimsley, the Pirates were able to close out the regular season on a positive note as they went on to defeat Ragsdale, a team which they’d previously lost to at the end of January. The Pirates cruised to a 59-51 victory behind senior forward Dashaun Ballard, who finished with 21 points and 12 rebounds. Also significant to the game was Jason Sellars, who finished with 10 points, 7 rebounds and 3 blocks. The victory was made possible by the Pirates’ outscoring of the Tigers 21-10 in the fourth quarter after starting the quarter down 41-38, leading to a final score of 59-51.
With a rebuilding-focused regular season behind them, the Pirates can now concentrate on the playoffs and specifically tonight’s game against the Whirlies, a team they have yet to beat this year. Notable is Coach Matthew Harder’s departure from Head Basketball Coach to Athletic Director, making tonight a possible farewell game for him. However, with a little bit of luck and some strong play from the Pirates, the Whirlies will be defeated and Page will move on to tomorrow night’s game against Northwest Guilford!