(December 20th, 2014) – PIONEER: North Central’s first home game of the year was not the sort of homecoming that the Eagles expected.
North Western Ohio Athletic League foe Swanton made the trip to Pioneer, and the Bulldogs proved to be too much for North Central to handle. The Eagle boys lost the game 75-35.
The boys of Pioneer were able to stay reasonably close early into the contest. The first quarter saw them trail 11-5. Swanton found their rhythm in the second period, however, unleashing a 23 point burst of offense against a struggling Eagle defense. North Central could only manage 9 points in quarter number two. Facing a 34-14 deficit at halftime, the game was mostly decided.
North Central kept fighting, though. They increase their offensive production, earning 13 points. The Bulldog boys put up another 19 points to counter. The Eagles were outscored in the fourth quarter 22-8.
Senior Jordan Bailey led the scoring effort for the Eagles. He totaled 9 points, including one of the team’s 2 three-pointers. Fellow senior Josh Sawyer connected on the other three, as he scored 5 points in the game. Steven Williams earned 6 points on the night as well.
The Eagles could not get to the free throw line against Swanton. The hometown boys took a mere 4 shots from the charity stripe, though they did make 3 of them for a 75% average. North Central typically likes to drive the ball inside, despite their favoring of three-point attempts, so it is a bit surprising that they couldn’t draw fouls. Swanton’s size advantage may have played a factor in keeping the Eagles outside of the paint.
Turnovers were also a big part of the North Central defeat. The boys of Pioneer turned the ball over 17 times. But it was the number of Swanton turnovers that really hurt the Eagles. Committing just 6 errors in the contest, the Bulldogs maximized each possession, and severely limited the transition opportunities for North Central.
A plethora of talented players playing mistake free basketball is hard for any team to overcome.