The Lady Pioneers hit the road Thursday to Denton to face the D-G-S Bearcats. DGS would jump out to a quick ten-point lead in the first quarter. Still, the Lady Pioneers would slowly claw back into the contest with their full-court pressure forcing a handful of turnovers. They would eventually take the lead late in the second quarter; at the halftime break; the Lady Pioneers would lead the Bearcats 30-22. The second half brought more of the same in an aggressive and hard-fought contest in all 32 minutes. A big 20-point quarter from the Bearcats helped them regain the lead. At the end of the three-quarters of play, with a score of 42-38. It was all going to come down to who wanted this game more in the fourth quarter. As this contest continued to stay close throughout and who was going to make stops and make free throws down the stretch, with under 10 seconds left in the contest where DGS held a one-point lead as the Pioneers would have one more chance to draw up a play to win the ball game. Sophomore Lainey Terry would have a final shot that would not fall. DGS would squeak out a close one. Final Score: DGS 55 Big Sandy 54. Junior Eva Wagoner dropped in 21 points and shot 67% from the field. Sophomore Lainey Terry had 14 points and seven steals in the contests. Freshman Eva Yeadon records 10 points and 14 rebounds.
On Saturday, the Lady Pioneers would be on their home floor facing their 9C rival, the Fort Benton Longhorns. A game where the Pioneers were really looking for a win against a team they had yet to defeat. In the first quarter of the contest, the lead would go back and forth, and after 8 minutes of high-energy basketball, the Lady Pioneers only found themselves down by 1 with a score of 13-12. That lead would change a few times in the second quarter but never by more than 4. The full-court pressure of the Lady Pioneers would force some turnovers that would keep them well within reach of the lead, and after one half of play, the lead was just two. At the half, the Longhorns would hold the narrow lead 21-19. In the second half, the Lady Pioneers come out a little flat allowing the Longhorns to extend their lead, and some foul trouble did not help the already amounting trouble. Still, down the stretch, the Pioneers would continue to battle through all 32 minutes of basketball and would fall just short in a game that very easily could have rolled in the right direction for the Lady Pioneers. Eva Yeadon led in the scoring column with 12 points, Keira Galbavy added 10, and both Jai Baumann and Eva Wagoner would chip in 9. As a whole, the Pioneer shot an impressive 72% from the free-throw line. Final score Big Sandy 54 Fort Benton 62.
Jurenka says, "these girls will continue to dig deeper as they feel the growing pains with every contest." "WINNING IS FUN...for sure. But WANTING to win is the point. NOT giving up is the point. Never LETTING up is the point. NEVER being satisfied with what you've done is the point." Pat Summit. "Just as Pioneers do, these ladies continue working hard to build a solid path with determination and ambition to overcome any obstacle that stands in their way; they sure are fighters!"
This week the Lady Pioneers host three home games. On Tuesday, February 1st, they will take on CJI at 5 and 6 pm. We host the Box Elder Bear and Saturday the North Star Knight on Friday night