(February 27th, 2015) – PIONEER: Five seniors were honored as North Central played their last home game of the season. Unfortunately for them, they were unable to go out on a winning note against the Blackbirds of Pettisville.
The Eagles lost the contest to Pettisville 53-27.
Getting off to a slow start didn’t help matters for the boys of Pioneer. Offensively, the first quarter was a nightmare for the Eagles, as they were only able to manage 3 points in the period. Of course, Pettisville was unable to take full advantage, scoring a solid 11 points in that span to take an early 8 point lead.
For all their faults in the first frame, North Central played flawlessly with the ball in their hands during the second. Quintupling their offensive production, the Eagle boys put up a strong 15 points to close out the half. On the other side of the court, the Blackbirds were able to score 12 points of their own, refusing to allow the Eagle surge to overtake them. Their efforts allowed Pettisville to cling to a 5 point lead at the half, 23-18.
Coming out of the locker room, Pettisville played with a renewed vigor, and North Central simply did not have an answer. Throughout the third period, the Blackbird boys racked up 16 points, holding the North Central boys to just 4. This trend continued in the fourth and final stanza, as Pettisville outscored the home team down the stretch 14-5.
Stuart Yoder, a junior for the Pettisville boys, took charge of the game with 17 points. While he did knock down a three, Yoder did most of his damage from inside the arc with 7 two-point field goals. His senior teammate, Tate Kauffman, had a great evening scoring the ball as well. Hitting the Blackbirds only other triple, Kauffman totaled 13 points. Sophomore Caleb Rychener also had a big night, scoring 12 points while controlling the paint.
In the loss, North Central senior Jordan Bailey connected on a pair of three-point attempts on his way to 13 points. Josh Roesener, a sophomore for the Eagles, hit a three as well. That helped propel his points total to 8 for the night. Another senior, Jordan Reeves offered up 4 points in the last home game of his high school career.