By Rett Simenson
In the season opener for the pioneers, they matched up with the Sunburst Refiners. To start, the Refiners jumped out to a quick 10-0 lead; after shaking off the beginning of the season rust, the Pioneers slowly cut the lead throughout the game and only trailed 23-18 at the half. The Pioneers finally caught their stride offensively in the second half, outscoring the Refiners in the third and fourth quarters. But four quarters of basketball wasn't enough for both teams as at the end of regulation, and the score was knotted up at 47. In the final twenty seconds, Kody Strutz found Brayden Cline cutting to the basket to give them the 52-51 lead, and that is how the game would end for the Pioneers. Wylee Snapp led the Pioneers with 16 points, and Brayden Cline added 14.
In Saturday's contest, a match-up against the Diamondbacks of Dutton-Brady. A game that went back and forth for all thirty-two minutes of the contest, a game that both teams played physically and had to earn every bucket. At the half, the Pioneers led the Diamondbacks 23-19; the second half of this contest was no different from the first as neither team could gain much of an edge. The Diamondbacks held a 40-37 lead as the game winded down, and Junior Brayden Cline knocked down a wing three to tie the contest at 40 apiece. The Diamondbacks would then make one out of two free throws to give them the one-point edge with 16 seconds in the contest; the pioneers would need a basket to win. With the clock winding under five seconds, Sophomore Lane Demontiney hits a pull-up jumper to give the Big Sandy Pioneers their second one-point victory of the weekend. Brayden Cline led the Pioneers with 14 points, and both Lane Demontiney and Wylee Snapp dropped in 8 apiece. The Pioneers improve to 2-0 and are set to face the Longhorns of Fort Benton Tuesday, December 14th.
The Refiners jumped out to a quick 10-0 lead; after shaking off the beginning of the season rust, the Pioneers slowly cut the lead throughout the game and only trailed 23-18 at the half. The Pioneers finally caught their stride offensively in the second half, outscoring the Refiners in the third and fourth quarters. But four quarters of basketball wasn't enough for both teams as at the end of regulation, and the score was knotted up at 47. In the final twenty seconds, Kody Strutz found Brayden Cline cutting to the basket to give them the 52-51 lead, and that is how the game would end for the Pioneers. Wylee Snapp led the Pioneers with 16 points, and Brayden Cline added 14.
In Saturday's contest, a match-up against the Diamondbacks of Dutton-Brady. A game that went back and forth for all thirty-two minutes of the contest, a game that both teams played physically and had to earn every bucket. At the half, the Pioneers led the Diamondbacks 23-19; the second half of this contest was no different from the first as neither team could gain much of an edge. The Diamondbacks held a 40-37 lead as the game winded down, and Junior Brayden Cline knocked down a wing three to tie the contest at 40 apiece. The Diamondbacks would then make one out of two free throws to give them the one-point edge with 16 seconds in the contest; the pioneers would need a basket to win. With the clock winding under five seconds, Sophomore Lane Demontiney hits a pull-up jumper to give the Big Sandy Pioneers their second one-point victory of the weekend. Brayden Cline led the Pioneers with 14 points, and both Lane Demontiney and Wylee Snapp dropped in 8 apiece. The Pioneers improve to 2-0 and are set to face the Longhorns of Fort Benton Tuesday, December 14th.
