For the second consecutive night, Santa Ynez lost to Nipomo, 63-47, on Friday, but Pirates coach Walter Tyler saw encouraging improvement.

Scottie Bunch led the Pirates with 23 points, and Landon Lassahn added nine points and eight rebounds. Both had a steal.

“I’m very proud of my team tonight, playing back-to-games — huge improvement against a very smart, disciplined team,” Tyler said.

Brandon Pizano had seven points and two steals for Santa Ynez.

— Noozhawk correspondent Dennis Moran can be reached at sports@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk Sports on Twitter: @NoozhawkSports. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.