Pioneers open season with two hard-fought wins

By Rett Simenson

In the season opener for the pioneers, they matched up with the Sunburst Refiners. To start, the Refiners jumped out to a quick 10-0 lead; after shaking off the beginning of the season rust, the Pioneers slowly cut the lead throughout the game and only trailed 23-18 at the half. The Pioneers finally caught their stride offensively in the second half, outscoring the Refiners in the third and fourth quarters. But four quarters of basketball wasn't enough for both teams as at the end of regulation, and the score was knotted up at 47. In the final twenty seconds, Kody Strutz found...