Pioneers Down Crusaders in Defensive Tussle

It wasn’t a very pretty start to the night in West Lampeter, for either squad. It seemed as if every Crusader possession ended with a turnover, and every Pioneer possession ended with a miss on a wide-open shot. 



The Pioneers slowly but steadily built a first-half lead, strongly aided by the efforts of Luke Hines off the bench. Hines recorded 7 points and 7 rebounds, all in the first half. As a whole, the Pioneers played outstanding defense, forcing turnover after turnover. Following the game, Hines had to say, “I thought most of it was just the defense, we got after it after yesterday (a 86-71 win over Conestoga Valley).” 



I’m not sure what Lancaster Catholic head coach Joe Klazas had to say in the locker room, but it worked. The Crusaders looked as if they were shot out of a cannon, going on an 11-0 run to start the second half. All of a sudden, it was only a 4-point Pioneer lead. 



The turning point of the game was the Pioneer's response to that run. After a timeout, the Pioneers got their composure back and quickly built their lead back to where it was before the halftime break. “I mean that was the key to the game,” said Pioneer coach Ed Berryman after the game. “They made a good run and we responded, got good shots and made those shots, then played some good defense and got the ball back.”



The Pioneers shut the Crusaders down in the 4th quarter, eventually winning by a final score of 53-41. It wasn’t a very typical win for the Pioneers, who are known for their clinical shooting from beyond the arc. Isaiah Parido was made the only 3-pointer for the team, who were forced to change the game plan when the shots weren’t falling. 



Berryman added, “I didn’t think the three ball was gonna be there for us tonight and it wasn’t… I got the guys to buy in a little bit on sometimes no threes is the best thing we can do. And when we did that tonight it worked.”



The undefeated Pioneers will also be in action next Tuesday, making a long trip to Lower Dauphin. The game will start at 2:00 PM. 


By Logan Moyer, LS News Editor-in-Chief

Photos by Cam Reynolds, LS News Photographer


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