Starting games is gettng easier for the Phoenix boys' basketball team. Now the Pirates need to work on finishing!

PHS got out to a pair of strong starts during the Sky-West Crossover Challenge at Hidden Valley High School over the weekend. The Pirates led Brookings at halftime on Friday and were tied with South Umpqua at intermission on Saturday only to drop both games, falling 42-34 to Brookings and 41-38 to SU.

Friday, the Bruins outscored the Pirates 16-6 in the third quarter. Mateo Lopez led the Pirates with eight points while Kevin Botermans and Javan Gail added six apiece.

Saturday, a scoreless third quarter was the undoing for Phoenix against South Umpqua. The Pirates had a productive final quarter and a shot to tie the game in the final seconds. Lopez scored a game-high 13 points while David Lozano-Reyes added nine for PHS, which is 3-10 overall and opens Skyline Conference play at Hidden Valley on Tuesday night.