The Pioneer boys’ basketball team was also back in action this past weekend against CJI. The boys struggled a bit from the start, with CJI having 7 turnovers in the first quarter, but their effort and hustle are fun to watch as they do their best to battle back.
CJI stepped out on top with some big shots at the beginning of the game. The Pioneers did start the game with a great board from Eyon Sherburn and a 3-pointer from Aidan Morsette. Karter Jurenka also had a nice take for an AND1, and Ryder Galbavy had a nice post move for 2 points. Jaesun Yirsa and Jayton Ophus helped with a couple of boards, and Aidan had a couple of nice steals. But the Pioneers went down by 11 points in the 1st quarter with a score of 9-20.
The Pioneers started the second quarter with some great rebounds from Karter and Aidan, and Jaesun also had a nice board and bucket. The Pioneers struggled a bit, trying to stop CJI from running the floor and scoring. CJI outscored the Pioneers 15-5 in the second quarter. Eyon had some great rebounds, a nice take, and a steal as well, but the Pioneers went into the half down 21 points with a score of 14-35.
The Pioneers had a great 3rd quarter with only 4 turnovers and scoring more, with a great 3-pointer from Eyon, a nice board and bucket from Jaesun as well as a nice post move, a nice post move from Ryder, too, and some great steals from Aidan and Karter. The Pioneers had great defense and did their best to claw their way back into the game. The Pioneers went into the last stanza down 27 points with a score of 25-52.
Karter had a big 4th quarter for the Pioneers with 5 rebounds and a 3-pointer. Eyon also scored on a deep 3-pointer. The Pioneer bench also had some great contributions in the game, with a steal from Colter Han, a rebound from Braxton Hajenga, Travis Wilford with a board and bucket, and a steal from Tommy Sant. Dolan Sunchild also scored 4 points, with 2 of those coming with a last-second board and bucket. The Pioneers lost by 26 points with a final score of 39-65.
Team stats vs. CJI:
Rebounds: 31
Steals: 11
Assists: 5
Free throws: 5/10
Turnovers: 21
Coach Ella had this to say: “We spent most of our Christmas break in the gym, and I was happy to see so many kids putting in extra time to understand better the roles they are being asked to play. Most of them are playing a role they have never been asked to play before, and that alone will take time. They are all pretty young, but this team has so much talent.”
“We are staying focused on improving on the little things and becoming 1% better with each practice, and that’s where it has to start. Fundamentals, team bonding, confidence building, and mental toughness are where we must dedicate most of our time for now. The rest will follow. The game against CJI was our first game this year where we had our full team. We saw some great moments that we were proud of and plan to build on those things this week.”
“We are looking forward to a couple of competitive games this weekend against North Star and Hays.”
Henry Ford said, “Coming together is a beginning, keeping together is progress, working together is success.” This quote perfectly captures the idea of our boys’ team, which is in the process of building, emphasizing the importance of unity, collaboration, and ultimately achieving success together.
