If defense wins championships, the Pioneer boys’ basketball team might just be looking at a long playoff run. Then again, considering Friday night’s opponent, it could very easily be a one and done for the Pioneers.
Pioneer shut down rival Skyline in Wednesday’s MHSAA Division 1 Basketball District semifinal game at Huron and cruised to a convincing 52-28 win. The Eagles, who scored just four points in the first half, were shutout in the second quarter.
Huron looked impressive earlier in the night and crushed Jackson Northwest in the other semifinal and will host Pioneer at 7 p.m. on Friday in the District final. For those keeping score, Pioneer defeated Huron twice during the regular season, once by six points and the other by a single point.
Pioneer completely shut down Skyline with aggressive defense right from the opening tip. The Eagles did get some open looks but the shots weren’t falling and the Pioneers took full advantage at the other end of the floor.
“It was a great effort defensively,” said Pioneer Coach Rich Marion. “I thought we were locked in to protecting the paint while still contesting the three-point line. Obviously, Skyline missed some good looks, too, but we kept them to one shot for the most part in the first half. I thought this may have been the most connected we were defensively all year.”
A triple by Jordan Harrison gave Pioneer a 9-2 lead with 3:51 left in the first quarter. A basket inside by Tyler Mutinda gave Pioneer a 13-2 lead. And a triple by Nelson Sompa gave Pioneer a 19-4 lead after one quarter.
The second quarter started slow offensively at both ends of the floor. A basket inside by Nate Freisthler gave Pioneer a 23-4 lead with 2:58 in the half. Pioneer blanked Skyline the entire quarter and led 26-4 at halftime.
Mutinda led Pioneer with 12 points, including six in the opening quarter. Harrison finished with eight points, and Carson Strauss also had eight points. Sompa scored all of his seven points in the first quarter and Freisthler also finished with seven points.
