Defense does heavy lifting for Pirates

By KEITH NIEBUHR, Times Staff Writer
Published January 10, 2008

The Pasco boys soccer team won comfortably Wednesday night, but even a 3-0 victory over Wiregrass Ranch didn't satisfy Pirates coach Barry Grayling.

"It was a win," Grayling said. "But in the second half we didn't play very well at all."

The problem? Finishing shots.

"We couldn't put anything into the goal," the coach said.

That's usually not a problem for the high-scoring Pirates.

"It," Grayling said, "is a rare thing."

Pasco (16-4-1) scored all of its goals in the first half. They came from forward Alex Hollander, midfielder Roman Farias and midfielder David Cano.

Pasco's defense was, as usual, rock solid. The Pirates allowed only six shots. Keeper Jacob Pollock had four routine saves.

Girls basketball

Sickles 54, Mitchell 47

At Mitchell, Sickles improved to 15-2 behind Shawnta Snakovsky's 18-point effort. Mitchell (10-8) was led by senior forward Latoya Hillmon, who scored 19.

Sickles led by 12 entering the fourth quarter, but Mitchell rallied to close to within four near the two-minute mark. The Gryphons iced it by making five straight shots at the foul line.

[Last modified January 10, 2008, 00:41:26]