An early season showdown between two rival schools is always an intense affair and Pioneer against Skyline in boys’ basketball has featured some classic games over the years. On Thursday, Pioneer knocked off Skyline 54-45 in an SEC showdown that wasn’t pretty but still a victory for the Pioneers – and they will certainly take it.
“Both teams played really hard, but it was a little on the ugly side,” said Pioneer Coach Rich Marion. “Neither team was crisp offensively. We didn’t finish around the rim well and Skyline didn’t shoot it as well as they’re capable of.”
But there were some positives – especially on the Pioneer side of the court.
“We did get great contributions from the bench, defended well enough and then made some plays in the fourth quarter,” said Marion. “I do like that we responded to adversity in the third quarter and won the fourth quarter.”
Pioneer won the first quarter 11-7 before Skyline answered with a 10-7 second quarter to trail 18-17 at halftime. Both teams got the offense rolling a little better in the second half.
Pioneer outscored Skyline 18-16 in the third quarter and 19-13 in the final period.
The Pioneers shot 40 percent from the field compared to 34 percent for the Eagles. Skyline had 17 turnovers to Pioneer’s 7 as the Pioneer defense continues to force mistakes from their opponents.
Pioneer’s Nathan Freisthler had a team-high 16 points (7 of 13 shooting) along with seven rebounds and two blocks. Nelson Sompa had 10 points and four rebounds. Carson Strauss had eight points and Micah Powell added seven points for the Pioneers. Jordan Harrison had six points and three assists. Morgan Lyle had two points and four assists.
Noah Silkworth had 11 points and Pete Roebuck had eight points for the Eagles. Jake Rademacher and Ben Solomon each had six points for Skyline.
