Big Sandy beat Chester 26-23 and Turner 64-35. They play at Districts in Havre Thursday at 11:00 in the first round of district playoffs.
Braydon Cline did not disappoint in his last game on senior night. He opened up the first quarter with 6 of the Pioneers’ 10 points. Even after another impressive second quarter, Cline had 20 of the team’s 26 points going into halftime. The Pioneers also had great passes and hustle plays from senior Kody Strutz. CJI put pressure on the Pioneers and knocked down some excellent jumpers and 3-pointers. CJI was ahead at the end of the 1st, but after a few turnovers and made buckets by the Pioneers, the Pioneers went into halftime up 3 with a score of 26-23.
The Pioneers came out of halftime still prepared to dominate. Even with a great effort from CJI, the Pioneers outscored them 17-6. The Hawks did not do down without a fight and pulled within 4 points after being down 12. CJI had to foul at the end to try and get some extra opportunities to try and win the game, but the Pioneers made their free throws and ended up winning by 9 with a score of 63-54.
In Turner, the Pioneers started the game in their aggressive 3/4 press, which the Tornadoes struggled with from the get-go. The Pioneers put on a show with spectacular passes, back door cuts, flashes to the basket, and takes from the high post. Cooper Taylor had a great 1st quarter making himself easily available for his teammates. The Pioneers had great steals from Issac Pedraza, Kody Strutz, and Braydon Cline. Turner was able to find some holes on the Pioneer defense and score some nice buckets to stay within 9 points going into the 2nd quarter.
Both teams started the 2nd quarter struggling a bit, missing second-chance shots, and turning the ball over. Both teams didn’t score until after two and a half minutes. Pedraza had some big steals and more great passes, including a no-look pass to Taylor for a score. The Pioneers went up 14 points going into halftime with a score of 34-20.
Big Sandy came out in the 3rd quarter to put Turner away and never slowed down. Turner was held scoreless for almost 5 minutes as the Pioneers outscored the Tornadoes 19-4. Strutz had a big quarter with a rebound and put back, a steal, a fast break layup, and an AND1. The Pioneers ended up going into the 4th quarter up 29 points.
Unfortunately for Turner, things didn’t get better. They couldn’t handle Big Sandy’s defensive pressure. The Pioneers were shooting bonus free throws early, which helped them finish the game with a win and a final score of 64-35.
