Pioneers Fall to Vikings in Fredericksburg
On Friday night, the Girls' Basketball team headed north to Fredericksburg to take on the Northern Lebanon Vikings. The Vikings entered the game with a 4-6, sitting near the bottom of Section 4. When these two teams faced off last year, the Vikings won 36-28. In previous years, these two teams routinely produced low-scoring games. I would expect much of the same tonight.
The first quarter was a rather ugly one, with missed shots and unforced turnovers stealing the show. Ashlyn Messinger scored 5 points, leading the Vikings to a 7-6 lead after the first 8 minutes. Maggie Visniski led scoring for the Pioneers, knocking down 2 layups.
The Pioneers gained some momentum at the beginning of the 2nd quarter, as jump shots from Emma Drouillard and Hailey Leaman propelled the Pioneers into the lead. For the rest of the half, both offenses played very well resulting in many lead changes. When the dust settled, the Vikings were up 19-15. Ashlyn Messinger had an outstanding first half, scoring 14 points on 60% shooting. Visniski continued to lead the way for the Pioneers, going into halftime with 6 points and 6 rebounds.
The third quarter was a slow one for both teams, particularly the Pioneers. Traveling and errant passes plagued the game as nobody could get much of anything going. The Pioneers only scored 3 points in the whole quarter, all on free-throws. The Vikings led 25-18 going into the final 8 minutes of regulation.
The fourth quarter was all Vikings, with Ashlyn Messinger scoring 7 points in the quarter. Northern Lebanon won by a score of 37-26. Both teams played hard until the final buzzer, drawing fouls and pushing the ball up the court. Messinger finished as the games' leading scorer with 21 points.
THREE STARS:
Ashlyn Messinger: This one was an easy one to pick. Messinger was by far the best player on the court tonight. In a night chock-full with misses and ugly basketball, Messinger scored over 20 points and shot the ball efficiently. She also added 7 rebounds to go along with her scoring.
Maggie Visniski: The play of Visniski was just about the only thing that went right for the Pioneers tonight. She finished with 6 points and 13 rebounds, also playing well defensively.
Emily Hauck: Hauck also had a good night for the Vikings, complementing Messinger's play very well. She tallied 7 points and 10 rebounds by the time the game was over, coming close to a double-double.
STAT LEADERS:
Points: Ashlyn Messinger, 21
Rebounds: Maggie Visniski, 13
Assists: Rachel Papson, 5
Steals: 5 Players Tied, 1
Blocks: Katie Ranck/Hailey Leaman, 2
Turnovers: Emily Hauck, 6
The JV game resulted in a 30-6 win for the Pioneers. Next up for the Vikings is a contest with the winless Donegal Indians. That matchup will take place on Tuesday in Fredericksburg. The Pioneers have to wait almost a week for their next game, traveling to Linden Hall for a non-league battle on Thursday. As of the time of writing this article, the Pioneers are currently seeded 9th in the District III power rankings.
-By Logan Moyer, LS News reporter