By Ethan Moore, Sports Editor.
The Lady Pioneers came into the game looking to stay above .500 as they took on Alpena Community College. It was rough goings early on as Alpena controlled the boards and took good interior shots as they had a 24 point outburst which led gave them a nine point lead heading into the half. Coach Kelly Miller knew her team could play better and told them so during the break.
“When we’re [on offense] we have to take our time and build the lead instead of rushing and trying to do too much a once,” Says Miller.
The team came out fired up in the second half and eventually cut that lead down to three with one more quarter left to play. The Lady Pioneers stayed confident and eventually willed their way to a 73-68 victory thanks to some clutch defensive stops. Jayde Abenth led the way in scoring with 16 points, Kenisha Newsome and Jenna Szostak both added 12 as the team pulled away in the final seconds.
“When we played intense we made it hard for them to make good shots and decisions,” says Miller. “Our intensity got us back in the game and ultimately got us the win.”
The win improved their record to 8-6 on the season and 1-1 in conference play. The team has looked good on defense, allowing just 62 points per game, however the team has room for improvement both offensively and in rebounding. As a team they’re shooting just 38.7 percent from the field and their rebounding margin is -5.7 per game. Miller likes where her team is at, but knows that their toughest tests are still ahead.
“We know that we’re going to face tough teams during conference play and we will have a battle every night,” explains Miller. “We need to continue to build on hard fought wins like this in order to be where we want to be to make the district tournament.”