Pioneer falls to North White in sectional semifinal

BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS

Sports Editor, RTC

Boys basketball

North White 48, Pioneer 38: The Pioneer boys basketball team fell to North White in a Class 1A, Sectional 52 semifinal at Tri-County Friday.

Hunter Klepinger hit a pair of 3-pointers in the fourth quarter and led Pioneer with 15 points. Addai Lewellen missed the game with a broken hand.

Pioneer finished 9-12.

North White won their eighth consecutive game to improve to 15-8.

Hunter Pogue and Bentley Buschman had 11 points each for North White.

Prior to Friday, Pioneer had been 8-0 against North White in sectional games in the class basketball era (since 1998). Pioneer knocked North White out of the sectional in 2004, 2006, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2019 and 2020.

North White will play Caston, the defending sectional champion, in the sectional final at 6 p.m. Saturday. Caston won the first semifinal, taking down the host Cavaliers 55-51.

North White beat Caston 56-46 on Feb. 13 in their regular season meeting.

North White is seeking their first sectional title since 2014.