St. Mary’s coach Caleb Strickland believes his team is in a rebuild. But that hasn’t stopped the Pirates in the 3A playoffs.

The No. 6 Pirates beat No. 3 Grand Valley 40-35 on Thursday in the Great 8. The win clinches St. Mary's second consecutive Final Four appearance.

The Pirates lost four of their six most productive players from the 2022-23 squad, which went 21-6 and finished third at state.

But that hasn’t stopped St. Mary’s this year. The Pirates have won 11 of their last 12 games.

“To be back here in a rebuild kind of speaks volumes to where our younger kids and seniors are at,” Strickland said.

While inexperience may hurt the Pirates in other areas, the team’s youth was important on Thursday.

After St. Mary’s led 25-15 at halftime, Grand Valley began the third quarter on a 11-0 run. Instead of panicking, the Pirates regrouped, retook the lead and never gave it up.

“Our group is young, so they’re giving up runs that they shouldn’t give up,” Strickland said. “But I also think they’re young enough sometimes to not understand the magnitude of what’s going on and settle in. It can almost work to our advantage sometimes.”

Sophomore Jaela Pedro added, “We had to have a good mindset.”

Senior Maeve Salveson led the Pirates with 21 points, 15 of which she scored in the second quarter. Pedro chipped in with 10.

Thursday’s win comes after St. Mary’s took down Forge Christian and Ignacio in the first two rounds of the 3A playoffs.

The Pirates’ next playoff game will be their toughest yet.

St. Mary’s will face defending state champion Colorado Springs Christian at 4 p.m. on Friday. The Lions’ winning streak is currently at 31 games, dating back to last season.

CSCS knocked the Pirates out of the playoffs last year, winning 33-29. The schools have battled twice this year, with the Lions winning both meetings by more than 40 points.

While CSCS has established itself as a goliath, the Pirates are confident that they can be competitive.

“It’s going to take our best day,” Strickland said. “They're the best team in the state.”

Salveson added, “We just have to play well consistently.”