Pierce High Boys Basketball
Bluejay Boys Basketball Overpowers Ponca Indians
By Abbie Cone
Early Saturday evening on December 13, the Ponca Indians made the trip to Pierce High for a Mid-State matchup, ending in a convincing 62-48 win for the Bluejays.
“Our press was able to cause problems for them, and we kept stacking stops in the third quarter. Going out and earning two conference wins was important for the early season. We hope to stay focused and motivated for O'Neill and Scotus next week,” head coach Ryan Ohnoutka comments.
The first quarter was fairly even, finishing 12–10 in favor of the Indians. In the second quarter, the Bluejays and the Indians scored 15 and 16 points, respectively, ending the half at 28–25 with the Bluejays down three.
Fresh out of halftime, the Bluejays came out with a spark, took the lead, and extended it out of reach of Ponca. Pierce scored 24 points while holding the Indians to only eight points in the third quarter. Winning the fourth quarter as well, the Bluejays added 13 points while the Indians rallied with 12, but it was not enough, as the Bluejays finished with a 62–48 victory.
Leading scorer for the Bluejays was Jax Bauer, who put up 22 points. Following was Gavin Lubischer, who totalled 15, Brock Collison tallied 11, and Keaton Frazier and Ryder Theisen each added six.
Bauer and Frazier each had seven rebounds, and Collison and Theisen each added four.
Defensively, Theisen had three steals.
“I thought that as the game went on we started playing as a team and we were able to find our rhythm even though we started off slow. It was tough to play on a Saturday, but we came together as a team and got the job done,” senior forward Jax Bauer remarks.
Catch the Bluejays in action again against the Scotus Shamrocks on Friday, December 19, at Pierce High School.
Varsity Boys Outplay Boone Central Cardinals
By Charlie Miller
With a 34-point difference, the Bluejays boys basketball team took on the Boone Central Cardinals on Friday, December 12, and the Bluejays beat the Cardinals 62-28.
Throughout the first quarter, both teams put points up on the scoreboard, but the Bluejays ended the quarter ahead, 15-6.
In the second quarter, the Bluejays defended their basket to stop the Cardinals' offense. The Jays made 21 more points compared to Boone Central’s 16. The score going into halftime was 37-16, with Pierce ahead.
After the short halftime break, the Jays came out ready to play. Pierce added 12 more points, bringing their score to 49, while Boone Central only added eight, bringing their score to 24.
In the last quarter of the night, with the Jays ahead, Boone Central tried to fight back, but the Bluejays did not let them. Pierce made another 13 points in the final quarter, and the Cardinals made four. The final score of the night was 62-28, and the Bluejays took the victory.
“We came out with a lot of energy which gave us the lead right away and played hard on both ends which led to a huge win,” senior Brock Collison said.
Leading the team in points was Collison with 19. Following closely behind Collison was Keaton Frazier with 12 total points. Frazier had eight rebounds overall, one offensive rebound and seven defensive rebounds.
Senior Ryder Theisen had four assists, following closely behind with three were Gavin Lubisher and Collison.
“The boys competed well for four quarters. I thought our defense was strong from start to finish. The offense keeps improving. Playing together and for each other has been a trait of this team, so far,” head coach Ryan Ohnoutka commented.
The Bluejays will be at host Columbus Scotus on Friday, December 19.
