Pirates fall to Skyline, seeded fifth in district tournament

Lady Pirates come up short against Skyline, enter district tournament as number two seed host

The Ash Grove boys’ and girls’ basketball teams ended their regular season last week with games against Skyline on Monday, Feb. 17, at Ash Grove.
The Pirates fell behind early, trailing 18-15 after the first quarter but kept the game close, scoring 13 points in the second quarter to trail 33-28 at the half. In the third quarter, Ash Grove put up 11 points, but Skyline answered with 15 points to increase their lead to 48-39. The Pirates outscored the Tigers 14-11 in the final quarter but lost the game 59-53.
“Our guys bounced back really well after the last game and did a lot of things well,” said head coach Grant Williamson. “Skyline finished tied for first in the conference and we played them very tough.”
Dylan Gray led Ash Grove with 16 points, Jaden Hance added 13 points, and Easton Rust ended the game with 10 points.
Ash Grove is 12-13 on the season and will enter the Class 3, District 11 Tournament this week as the No. 5 seed.
Lamar is the top seed followed by Stockton, Adrian, Skyline, Ash Grove, El Dorado Springs and Butler. The tournament will be played at Butler and was scheduled to start on Monday with Ash Grove playing against Skyline. The semifinals are scheduled for tonight with the championship game taking place on Friday.
Girls
The Lady Pirates also fell to Skyline, in another tough contest, 62-54.
The Lady Tigers jumped out to a 20-13 lead and increased that lead to 38-24 by halftime. The Lady Pirates shot better in the second half, scoring 15 points in the third quarter, but Skyline was able to get 16 points. The Lady Pirates outscored Skyline 15-11 in the fourth quarter.
“Great opportunity going against a seasoned team, Skyline,” said head coach Bryan Dean. “It raises the bar going into districts and grounds us to what we need to do to get it done.” 
Bristol Lathrop led Ash Grove with 17 points and Cora Duit added 11 points in the game.
The Lady Pirates end the regular season with a 16-8 record and enter the Class 2, District 12 Tournament as the No. 2 seed. Miller is the top seed followed by Ash Grove, New Heights Christian Academy, Jasper, Greenwood and New Covenant Academy.
The tournament was scheduled to begin last night, with Ash Grove facing the winner of the New Heights Christian Academy/New Covenant Academy game in the semifinals tomorrow night. The championship game is scheduled for Saturday. The tournament will be played in Ash Grove.