Sophomore, Jai Baumann (3) brings the ball down court.
Lady Pioneers, plagued by injury and illness, fall short against the Lady Longhorns 57-41. The Lady Pioneers had a different starting five against the number two team in the district, but that didn't stop them from giving it all they had. The Lady Longhorns began with a half-court trap to try and make the Lady Pioneers make poor decisions with the ball, but that didn't stop Big Sandy from making good passes and excellent ball movement. Fort Benton opened up with three 3- pointers and some great pushes up the floor. Big Sandy and Fort Benton had great defensive rebounds to lead to great fast-break opportunities. Despite being sick, both Jai Baumann and Eva Yeadon pushed the ball up the court and got some great fast-break drives. The Lady Longhorns' defense was just a little too much in the last bit of the 1st quarter, holding the Lady Pioneers scoreless for 3 minutes and ending the quarter with a score of 8-19.
Jai Baumann gave the Lady Pioneers some spark right out the gate of the 2nd quarter with a nice take from the baseline and steal, putting the Lady Pioneers within 7 points. The fouls from Fort Benton's side of the floor had Big Sandy shooting free throws the whole 2nd quarter. After a couple of free-throw opportunities, the Lady Pioneers were within 5 points. The Lady Longhorns had fresh legs for both quarters with lots of substitutions, allowing some new looks off the bench and some pressure defense. The Lady Longhorns caused Big Sandy to turn over the ball three times before half, and they also hit a 3-pointer in the last few mins, going into halftime ahead of the Lady Pioneers 28-20.
The Lady Longhorns came out ready after halftime to try and set the tone. After a 3-pointer and steal, as well as a couple of Big Sandy turnovers, the Lady Longhorns went on an 8-0 run in the first minute and a half. Eva Yeadon and Jai Baumann did not give up, though, and led their team to a bit of a comeback, making some great drives and buckets. Eva Yeadon and Jai Baumann had some tremendous defensive pressure, steals, and drives that got them to the free-throw line. After a hard-fought battle in the 3rd quarter, Big Sandy went into the 4th quarter still down 30-43.
After trading turnovers on both ends of the floor, Mattie Gasvoda hit a big 3-pointer in the first couple mins of the 4th quarter. Jai Baumann had an incredible drive to a nice pass down low and a nice post bucket by Angie Sant. The Lady Longhorns couldn't miss and scored another three 3-pointers to put the Lady Pioneers away with a final score of 57-41.
Lady Pioneers took a loss against Chinook 28-60. The Lady Pioneers started strong with some fast break pushes and scores from Eva Yeadon and Jai Baumann. Eva Wagoner had a great hustle play, but after two turnovers and missed opportunities, Chinook took advantage with some nice takes to the middle of the key and a 3-pointer. Chinook had three quick buckets in the last two minutes, but Wagoner hit a 3-pointer with 15 seconds left to end the quarter down 3 with a score of 9-12.
The second quarter was a different story for the Lady Pioneers. They were held scoreless until the last minute in the quarter when (Little Sant) made two free throws. The Lady Pioneers got into foul trouble and had 13 turnovers to let Chinook run away with the game scoring 19 points in the 2nd quarter. Chinook went in at halftime up 20 points against Big Sandy.
The 3rd quarter started as a struggle for the Lady Pioneers too. Chinook had two 3-pointers off of a couple of Big Sandy turnovers. At the last minute in the quarter, the Lady Pioneers had a spark, with buckets from Baumann and Yeadon. The two girls scored 7 points in one minute, putting the score at 18-46 going into the 4th quarter.
The Lady Pioneers never quit and showed true heart and grit even though they struggled defensively to get a stop. Their offense was better, scoring an additional 10 points, but Big Sandy ended up losing 28-60 for a final score.
