Bluejay Basketball
Bluejays Take Down the Falcons
By Brayden Suckstorf
The boys basketball team traveled to Tilden to take on a very good Falcons team on Saturday, February 15. The Bluejays showed how good they can be when firing on all cylinders, defeating the Elkhorn Valley Falcons 59-45.
“The team played really well on the road. It was probably the best we have played all year. We played well offensively, getting great looks and defensively worked our tails off to hold a really good team to 44 points,” head coach Alex Thramer stated.
“Our teamwork and confidence going into the game is what made us be the winners,” point guard Brock Collison stated.
The Bluejays fired out of the gate, taking early control, just like they did Thursday night, scoring 12 points to Elkhorn Valley’s eight.
The Falcons found their rhythm in the second quarter scoring 12 points, but Pierce was right behind them with a solid 11 points, making the score 23-20, Bluejays.
Pierce came out hot after halftime, scoring an impressive 19 points, also showing some light on defense, only letting the Falcons score 10. Going into the final quarter, the score was 42-30.
Pierce kept it together in the fourth quarter, making the final score 59-45.
The Bluejays had a very good game on both sides of the ball, but their offense was on point. A key player for the Bluejay offense on Saturday was Brock Collison, who surpassed his career-high from last week of 26, finishing with an impressive 31 points. Behind Collison was Keaton Frazier, who had 14 points. Following Frazier were Ryder Theisen and Gavin Lubischer with five points each. Ethan Nordby helped the Bluejays out, scoring four points.
The Bluejays play next when they host Wayne for a Mid-State conference matchup on Friday, February 21.
Pierce Destroys GACC
By Zane Ray McKeown
Pierce trekked to West Point and faced Guardian Angels Central Catholic in a big end-of-the-season game. The Jays went down confident and ready to play some great basketball. They came out victorious winning by a large margin of 18 points. The final score was 59-43.
Starting strong in the first quarter, the boys doubled the opposing team's score. Pierce went into the second quarter looking just as good. They grabbed 17 more points, bringing the score to 31-17 going into halftime.
The boys came right back out to the court after the break still playing great basketball. They would not slow down on either side of the ball. The Jays picked up 15 more points while holding GACC to a measly nine.
Pierce slowed down in the fourth after pummeling the GACC Bluejays the previous three quarters. Pierce was not able to hold them back as much and unfortunately gave up 17 points. That did not make a huge difference. Pierce still scored 13 and finished that hard-fought game with another scratch on the positive side of their record.
With the high score, there were a few players who scored quite a bit for the team. Brock Collison, the starting point guard obtained 21 points. “We are finally putting it together of what we can do by playing together and showing no fear when we went into this game,” Collison stated. Keaton Frazier brought in 14 points for the team as well. Ryder Theisen got eight points. A few other Jays scored for the team also.
“Last night, we played really well against GACC. We were able to attack their zone and get great looks and defensively were able to minimize their open shots. The last week has given us some positive momentum heading into postseason play,” head coach Alex Thramer said.
The players, along with the coaches, have a tough postseason ahead, and will definitely need to keep playing like this to earn that spot in the finals.
Bluejays Declare Victory Over the Patriots
By Brody Quinn Coulter
The Pierce Bluejays had a big win on Tuesday, February 12, when they beat the Clarkson-Leigh Patriots with a final score of 70-30. From the start, the Bluejays were ready to play and quickly took control of the game.
In the first quarter, Pierce built an early lead, finishing with a score of 15-6. Their defense was strong, and they did a great job of stopping the Patriots from scoring.
In the second quarter, the Bluejays kept their foot on the gas, outscoring the Patriots 16-9.
As the second half started, the Bluejays came out even stronger. They scored 22 points in the third quarter while holding the Patriots to just nine points.
In the fourth quarter, the Bluejays finished strong, scoring 17 points and letting the Patriots get just six. This solid effort made sure the Bluejays won with a score of 70-30.
Keaton Frazier, a junior, led the Bluejays with 21 points.
“I think we came out ready to play with a chip on our shoulder. Everyone was hitting shots and moving the ball as a team, which made it hard for our opponents to guard,” Frazier said. “We’re on a bit of a streak right now, but we’re back to practicing and getting ready for the next one.”
Tyler Schulz, another junior, also had a good game. “I feel like we could train defense more, but I believe we played well enough to win the game, and that's what matters,” Schulz commented.
Their next game is against the Wayne Blue Devils on February 21.
Bluejays Pummel the Warriors
By Zane Ray McKeown
The Bluejays dribbled on down to Albion and fought the Crofton Warriors in an extra game in the Mid-State conference tournament on Friday, February 7. This rematch was highly anticipated after the previous game ended with a close Bluejay win.
Pierce came out much stronger in this conference game, with a 61-28 final score. Pierce was able to obtain ninth place in the conference after this win.
“The team played really well on Friday night. We were able to make shots and defend Crofton better than we did the first time. Overall, our biggest improvement has been the ability to defend and rebound every team we play. We have seen a major improvement in those two areas since the beginning of the season,” head coach, Alex Thramer said.
Pierce outscored their opponents in every quarter of the game.
Two notable scorers for the Jays were Keaton Frazier and Brock Collison. Frazier had 24 points in this big win and Collison had 15. There were quite a few other players with great games, helping the team grab this win. Frazier attained three assists and Collison and Payton Cederburg had two each.
During Friday’s game, the Bluejays had a hefty amount of steals. Noah Fuerhoff-Gubbels had three of those, Frazier had four, and Collison grabbed two.
Overall this rematch was a huge success for Pierce, resulting in a ninth place spot in the conference.
