The Pioneers played a tough DGSG on Tuesday night, then faced Hays Lodgepole on Friday and North Star on Saturday. The Pioneers are gaining momentum and learning to work as a team more and more every game, and they have improved so much this year. They struggled a bit with turnovers against a tough press in DGSG and North Star, but they came away with a win against Hays.
The Pioneers played a very aggressive and fast-paced team in DGSG and got their first 2 points after 6 minutes with a couple of free throws. In the second quarter, they scored 10 points off of a Jaesun Yirsa take, a Karter Jurenka 3-pointer, and a 3-pointer and take from Aidan Morsette. But the Pioneers went into halftime down 26 points with a score of 12-38.
The second half was more like the first, with the Pioneers struggling to get into a rhythm offensively with the pressure from DGSG. The Pioneers scored on a bucket from Jaesun, with two rebounds and putbacks. Karter also helped the Pioneers with 2 takes to the basket, scoring 4 points. The Pioneers ended up losing by 51 points, with a score of 20-71.
The next game against Hays was a complete turnaround for the Pioneers. They had so much going for them, and there was excellent ball movement. They attack the basket, with their shots falling and everyone crashing the boards. The Pioneers were only down once during the game at the beginning and then never looked back! The 2nd quarter was all Big Sandy, with the Pioneers outscoring them 14-2 and holding them to only 2 points! Hays had a couple of technical fouls in the first half, which helped the Pioneers get extra possessions and chances at the free-throw line. The Pioneers went into halftime up by 15 with a score of 30-15.
The 2nd half was all Pioneers again, with some great defensive stops and fast-break layups on press breakers. The Pioneers had great buckets, rebounds, steals, and passes from Eyon Sherburn, Tommy Sant, Jayton Ophus, Jaesun Yirsa, Karter Jurenka, and Aidan Morsette. Sophomore starter Karter Jurenka got hurt in the game and didn’t play against North Star the following night, and the Pioneers had some great hustle and buckets from Braxton Hajenga. Travis Wilford also contributed to the Pioneers as well. Sonny Phillips had a great drive to the basket to score the last points for the Pioneers as they pulled away with a victory and final score of 61-39.
Team Stats vs Hays: Rebounds: 40, with Eyon having 12; Free throws: 13/32; Assists: 6, with Aidan having 4; Steals: 11, with Eyon having 4;and Turnovers: 21
The Pioneers then played a tough North Star, who applied a lot of pressure to the Pioneers. However, the team held its own and battled hard, and it was only down 4 points after the first quarter with a score of 11-15. The Pioneers then struggled a bit in the second quarter, turning the ball over 10 times and getting outscored 20-7, going into halftime down 17 points.
North Star continued its push and kept pressuring the Pioneers. The Pioneers did get some great offensive play from Tommy, with a layup and a great pass to Jayton. Aidan had a nice move up and under the basket for 2 points. Sonny hit a 3-pointer for the Pioneers. The final score was 35-65, with the Pioneers losing by 30.
The Pioneers have a senior night on Friday, then play Box Elder on Saturday, and the following week, they are in Districts. Come out and support these boys as they continue to improve and work hard as a team every game! Go Pioneers!
Team Stats vs North Star: Rebounds: 33, with Eyon having 9; Free throws: 2/4; Assists: 5; Steals: 9, with Tommy having 3;and Turnovers: 30
