With dos consecutive wins, the Big Sandy boys could make a case for being the most interesting basketball team in the world.
They don't always have a size advantage, but when they do ...
The Pioneers put up plenty of points in the paint to punish visiting Turner on Friday, prevailing 70-61.
Outscoring their foes down low 48-26, Big Sandy capitalized on a 40-27 rebounding advantage that included almost a 2-to-1 edge on the offensive glass.
Fresh off a win at North Star, the Pioneers' final tilt before repeating the same slate of District 9C opponents presented a study in contrasts.
The Tornadoes' bread and butter could be found out on the perimeter, sinking eight three-pointers on 31 percent shooting.
"They shot well from outside," Pioneers coach Thomas Dilworth said. "We've got to get to the rim. I think Kody (Strutz) played his best game of the year tonight."
Strutz led a balanced Big Sandy attack with 19 points. The Pioneers didn't score a three-pointer but they also didn't need to do so.
"That was the game plan from go. They didn't have the height to deny us what we were doing down low," Strutz said. "We knew we had to make our cuts, stick to our game plan and we executed that very well."
Strutz, along with brother Kade, contributed on 13 of the Pioneers' 15 points in the fourth quarter, where Big Sandy held on against a relentless Turner comeback effort.
Turner's Austin Welsh, who led all scorers with 26 points (5-of-9 from behind the arc), hit a dagger of an elbow three-pointer with a little more than 4 minutes remaining, to cut the Pioneers' lead to 62-60.
Having felt a fourth quarter lead slip out from underneath them the last time out on their home floor against Box Elder, Big Sandy refused to let it happen again.
Kade Strutz swiped a steal and passed the length of the floor to Braydon Cline, who converted to give the Pioneers a little more breathing room. Kody went coast-to-coast about a minute later and Kade turned in the lane to bank one in for a 68-60 edge at the 2-minute mark. Kody provided the cherry on top on an assist from Wylee Snapp with 55 seconds remaining, while the Pioneers held Turner without another bucket from the floor after Welsh's last salvo.
"As they get in these situations more, they'll know more what to do," Dilworth said. "They're learning to play with pressure."
Big Sandy built a lead as large as 45-30 in the third quarter as Rusty Gasvoda scored four of the Pioneers' first six points of the second half, with a runner on the baseline and another bucket while turning in the lane. Lane Demontiney connected on a 17-footer along the baseline and cashed in on an assist from Kody during the run. Braydon Cline hit a runner in the lane and a Cooper Taylor free-throw brought the lead to its peak.
The lead changed hands twice in the first quarter but after Demontiney pulled up and sank a 10-footer to make it 13-12, the Pioneers never again trailed.
Kade Strutz added 13 points for the Pioneers while Cline and Demontiney each notched 12.
Shane Kimmel gunned for the Tornadoes with 23 points, including 3-of-5 three-point shooting.
Dilworth liked what she saw, save for the slump early in the fourth quarter.
"We can't let it go from 15 to a 5-point game," he said. "But the adjustments are getting more and more minor."
Big Sandy (2-4) is in the thick of a wide-open race for 9C tournament positioning behind frontrunners Fort Benton and Chinook.
"If we're going to get where we need to, Kody and Kade are going to have to be a big part of that," Dilworth said. "Until now, they've been letting teammates step up."
The top three teams in the standings are on tap this week after the Pioneers' scheduled Saturday visit to Hays had to be called off for the season's first COVID-19 cancellation.
Friday's win "gives us a lot of confidence because we've played with all the other teams and really boosts our confidence going in against Chinook and Fort Benton," Kody Strutz said.
A road game at Fort Benton was slated for Tuesday, after press time. Big Sandy returns to action Friday in Chester and plays at home Saturday against Chinook, with varsity tipoff at 7:30 p.m.
