Pioneer had one of the best football teams in the state this fall. First-year coach Pat Skaggs is hoping to translate some of the success from the gridiron onto the hardwood this winter.
“Obviously they’ve won in football and as a basketball coach I’d like to see some of that success carry over into our sport,” Skaggs said. “That’s easier said than done. Basketball is a sport where you have to have a lot of commitment in the offseason. That’s the time when a kid really becomes a good basketball player and a good shooter.”
Skaggs is a 17-year veteran coach who was hired in late May of this year. He has six sectional and two regional titles under his belt from his stints at Attica and Benton Central.
He’s happy with what he’s seen from his new squad thus far.
“So far I’ve been pleased with the kids’ attitudes and work ethic,” he said. “They’ve really given a good effort so far in practice.”
Skaggs said installing his system has been “a work in progress.
“Some of the stuff is new, some of the terminology is new. ... The attitude is everybody just keeps plugging along.
“I would think, especially early, we’re going to try to play more at a slow pace and a halfcourt game. We may only look to run if the opportunity presents itself. Right now I’m not sure if we take care of the ball well enough to play up-tempo. Early on we’re going to try to keep the score down and concentrate on the defensive end.”
Skaggs looks for the Panthers to be balanced on offense.
“I think we have to be very, very balanced,” he said. “We’re really trying to stress team play. We’re not a team that has a superstar, so it’s important for us to understand the concept of making the extra pass and putting the team first.”
The Panthers return a veteran group with five seniors and four juniors. The seniors are guards Doryn Wolf and Austin Kiser and forwards Logan Brock, Kyle Brown and Cory Hipsher. Skaggs said Brock recently sprained his ankle and Brown is coming off of wrist surgery and that both are questionable for the season opener on Dec. 1 in the Cass County Tournament against host Logansport.
The juniors are guards Tyler Miller, Ethan Groff and Zach Roller and forward Deven Lee. A freshman expected to contribute is Matt Dorris.
“We have several kids who can make a contribution,” Skaggs said. “Maybe a concern would be I’m not sure how strong our perimeter shooting is, but we’re making strides in that area.
“I can’t say we have a lot of size, but we have athletic kids.”
The three seniors who the Panthers lost to graduation from last year’s team that went 8-14 and won the Midwest Conference title were Jimmy Roller, Andrew Boonstra and Mitchell Petrie, who led Pioneer’s balanced scoring attack a year ago.
“We want to compete and contend for the conference title,” Skaggs said. “But more importantly, my philosophy is to always peak at the end of February and early March and to be ready for the tournament. That’s the most important part of the season.”
Local Sports
New Pioneer coach inherits veteran crew
Pioneer boys skipper Skaggs stressing defense, patience on offense.
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McCutcheon tops Logan, wins 3rd straight sectional crown
One thing Logansport’s girls basketball team didn’t want to do against the powerful McCutcheon Mavericks was to fall behind by double digits in Saturday night’s Class 4A Logansport Sectional championship game.
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Warriors top Zebras to win sectional title
It may have not been a David-vs.-Goliath type matchup, but it was well worth the price of admission for all in attendance.
The Winamac Lady Warriors jumped on Rochester early and held on for a 52-49 win giving them the title of Class 2A Sectional 34 champions.
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3 area grapplers advance to state
Many of northern Indiana’s finest wrestlers gathered Saturday at Merrillville High School for semistate action. Thirteen area grapplers had advanced out of regional competition and were looking to punch their tickets to the state finals next week.
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Berries cruise past Raiders, set up title game showdown
Hoosier Hysteria promises to be alive and well when the young and talented Berries (20-3) go up against the senior-laden two-time defending sectional champion McCutcheon Mavericks (19-3), ranked No. 8 in Class 4A, in tonight’s Logansport Sectional championship game. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m.
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Comets topple Vikings to reach title game
With an increase in wins this season, the Lady Comets of Caston have taken another step in making this a very memorable season by defeating North White 38-30 during semifinal action Friday at the North White Sectional.
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Slow start dooms Cass in loss at Wabash
After knocking off Class 2A No. 11 Oak Hill earlier in the week, Wabash’s girls basketball team proved once again white it is the defending sectional champion Friday night.
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Winamac throttles North Newton in sectional play
Winamac’s girls basketball team defeated North Newton 61-35 Friday at a Class 2A North Judson Sectional.
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Defending state runner-up Kokomo edges Logansport
For the second straight game Logansport’s boys basketball team went toe-to-toe against one of the state’s best teams for 32 minutes.
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Hot-shooting Kings throttle Comets
Lewis Cass’ boys basketball team was on fire offensively in a 90-50 rout of Eastern in a Mid-Indiana Conference boys basketball game here Thursday night.
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Comets bomb away on Squires in rout
After Caston’s boys basketball team lost consecutive games to Logansport and Carroll in early December, the Comets proceeded to rattle off 11 wins in a row.
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