The Pioneers' season ended at the State C Boys Championship in Billings this weekend. The Pioneers took 2nd place after a loss against Manhattan Christian in the Championship game, losing by just 9 points. The Pioneers finished their season like they started, working hard, giving it their all, and being strong mentally and physically on the court. The Pioneers will go down in Big Sandy history for being the runners-up at State for the 2022-2023 season, which is something to be proud of.
The Big Sandy Pioneers started their State-run against an undefeated Lustre Christian Lions team whose record was 23-0, winning 60-47. As per the radio, the Pioneers were led by Mr. MVP, also known as senior Braydon Cline. Cline ended up with 28 points shooting 56% from the floor and also having 7 rebounds. The Pioneers led the whole game, getting great defensive play from Kody Strutz like he had been doing all year. Power man Wylie Snapp was a dominating presence down low, and Lane Demontiney hit some big 3-pointers. The Pioneers' biggest lead against the Lustre Lions was 15 points, with big steals coming from Cooper Taylor. The Lions put on a good run in the 2nd half and pulled within 5 points, but they couldn't stop Cline from scoring, and the Pioneers made big stops coming from Snapp, Taylor, and Strutz. Demontiney's tenacious defense on the ball added pressure to the Lions, causing them to miss opportunities. The Lions had to start shooting desperate 3-pointers and foul the Pioneers to try and give themselves a chance. But with big free throws made at the end of the game, the Pioneers beat the undefeated Lions by 13 points with a final score of 60-47.
The Pioneers then moved on to Friday night semifinal action against Powder River Hawks, winning 55-53. Issac Pedraza had foul trouble Thursday night but came out Friday proving a point, showing Powder River what a dominating force he is. He started the 1st and 3rs quarters scoring a quick 5 points himself, with great defense and getting a couple of steals. Pedraza ended the night with 22 points, including four 3-point shots,10 rebounds, and 4 steals.
This game was intense, with 7 lead changes and 6 ties. The Pioneers started the game strong, but the Hawks went on a 19-6 scoring run in the 2nd quarter. The biggest lead for the Pioneers throughout the game was 9, and Powder Rivers' biggest lead was 7. Both teams pushed the ball up the floor, attacked the basket, and gave it all they had, making for a very fast-paced game that was fun to watch.
The Pioneers fought hard and had great contributions from Demontiney, Taylor, Snapp, Strutz, Cline, and Pedraza. Big Sandy was only shooting 26% in the first half, but in the second half, they shot 77%! The Pioneers took the lead in the first minute of the 4th quarter and stayed on top for the rest of the game. Demontiney sealed the deal with 2 big free throws in the last few seconds, and Powder River shot a last-ditch effort 3-pointer at the buzzer, making it, but ran out of time to do anything else, and ended up losing to the Pioneers by 2, with a final score of 55-53.
The Big Sandy Pioneers then moved on to the championship game against a 25-1 Manhattan Christian Eagles and lost 65-74. The Eagles came out ready to play, attacking the basket from the get go. The Pioneers struggled a bit on help-side defense and got some quick fouls. The Pioneers, unfortunately, had a slow start on offense and had to work extra hard to get back in the game. But just like they had all year, they never gave up and kept battling to stay in the game. There were glimpses of hope for the Pioneers as they clawed their way back in but could never quite get over the hump and ended up losing by 9 points.
Lane Demontiney had 17 points, Kody Struzt and Wylee Snapp each had 12 points, and Braydon had 8. Wylee Snapp had 13 rebounds. Big Sandy shot 47% from the field, and Manhattan Christian shot 65%. At the conclusion of the championship game, both teams showed great sportsmanship by joining together and praying at the center court. That shows what it's all about; no matter the outcome, you can still join together in celebration and in loss. Kudos to both teams for being excellent role models of sportsmanship.
Traveling and watching all three games was an exhilarating experience. It had huge highs and, yes, some lows, but as the "dangerous dark horse," the Big Sandy boys more than proved they deserved the respect of the State. They had supporters everywhere! And it wasn't just because of their basketball skills. Everyone noted their sportsmanship as well. We couldn't be more proud! Stopping at Eddie's Corner and having a Pioneer sweatshirt on was told by an older woman, "congratulations on taking 2nd in State! I followed the team."
