By Jeff Manges
BOURBON — Sometimes playing hard just isn’t enough. Such was the case here on Saturday morning, where Pioneer fell to heavily favored Bowman Academy 86-36 in a Class A Triton Regional semifinal game.
The No. 1-ranked Eagles (22-1) were just too tall, too long and too quick for the Panthers (12-11).
“We really ran into a buzzsaw [Saturday],” Pioneer coach Pat Skaggs said. “They are ranked No. 1 in the state for a reason.”
The Eagles feature a roster loaded with talent, several players of which are receiving Division I interest. Sophomore forward DeJuan Marerro is being heavily recruited by practically every school in the Big Ten.
But to the Panthers’ credit, they were not intimidated. They came out and matched up with Bowman right off the bat. In fact, with under four minutes remaining in the first quarter, Pioneer held a 6-4 lead thanks to buckets by senior Kyle Brown, junior Ethan Groff and senior Logan Brock. The Panthers, who were playing solid defense, were aided by the fact that Bowman was struggling from the field, as Marerro and senior Tyrae Robinson, another D-I recruit, both missed their first several field goal attempts.
But the well-known and tenacious full-court pressure employed by the Eagles began giving Pioneer fits, and Bowman went on a 13-2 run to end the first quarter leading 17-8. The Panthers struggled with the press all game, turning the ball over 27 times.
“We worked on press-breakers all week,” said Skaggs. “But it’s just impossible to simulate that kind of athleticism. They’re long, athletic, and play both ends of the floor.”
Pioneer struggled from the field in the second quarter, hitting only one field goal, a 3-pointer from junior guard Tyler Miller. Senior Kyle Brown knocked down three free throws in the period, as the Panthers went into intermission trailing 34-14. The effort was there, however.
“I didn’t feel we should’ve been down by 20 at the half,” said Skaggs. “We played good ‘D’ in that first half. We just really struggled offensively.”
Brock, who had a game-high 12 rebounds, pulled down nine of them in the first half. His intensity and willingness to bang with a bigger opponent was not lost on his coach.
“I made a point at the half to talk to the kids about Logan’s effort,” Skaggs said. “I asked Logan if he was tired and he said yes. I looked at the kids and said that’s what happens when you play your butt off.”
All the energy the Panthers exerted in the first half really took a toll on them, as they came out in the second half without the energy they had begun the game with. The Eagles used this to their advantage and were able to go on a 20-0 run to start the third before freshman Matt Dorris scored at the 3:30 mark to stop the bleeding. With a 40-point lead the Eagles finally called off their full-court pressure late in the third quarter, making life a bit easier for Pioneer. The Panthers enjoyed their best quarter offensively in the fourth, scoring 13 points while allowing some underclassmen to get some valuable experience.
The Eagles average 85 points a game, and even with a big lead they never stopped shooting, putting up 28 points in the fourth, including four 3-pointers.
“I’ll say this, I would be absolutely shocked if they don’t win the state,” Skaggs said. “They are that good.”
Skaggs was also very thankful of his seniors.
“I’d like to give a special thank you to our seniors. They are a special group of kids and really helped get us going our first year here. We wouldn’t have been playing today without them. They are good role models for our underclassmen to follow and keep this thing going.”
Along with his 12 rebounds, Brock led the Panthers with eight points, while Miller had six points and Brown added five. Brown and junior Deven Lee each added six rebounds as well.
For Bowman Academy, Christopher Bond had 14 points, Kevan Ford 13, Cylk Joseph 12 and Marerro 11 and 10 boards.
The Panthers finished a solid first season under Skaggs with their first winning season since 2004 and first sectional title since 2002.
