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BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS
Sports Editor, RTC
ROYAL CENTER — The Pioneer girls basketball team applied a 2-3 zone against visiting LaPorte Saturday, and it led to their most lopsided win of the season.
Ashlynn Brooke scored 19 points to lead four players in double figures as the Class 2A, No. 12 Lady Panthers beat the Lady Slicers 63-14.
Makenna Strycker came off the bench to score 11 points, and Paula Collado Fernandez and Kylie Attinger added 10 points each for Pioneer, who improved to 8-1.
Taylor Reaves and Elizabeth Wallace had six points each for LaPorte (0-11).
The 14 points were their fewest allowed in a game since a 47-11 win over Culver in the 2020-21 season opener. This is Jeff Brooke’s seventh season as coach, and only three times during that span has Pioneer allowed fewer points in a game.
“I thought our girls did a nice job covering shooters,” Pioneer coach Jeff Brooke said. “And then they also did a really nice job (allowing) no second chance opportunities, which you’ve got to love out of a 2-3. It’s hard to rebound out of a 2-3, so give Kylie, (Gracie) Hopper and then Ashlynn was coming down there and getting some boards, so I thought they did a really nice job.”
The win is a prelude to what might be the most important week of Pioneer’s regular season schedule. Pioneer will play conference road games against Caston, LaVille and Triton in a five-day span beginning Tuesday. Caston is undefeated and handed Pioneer their only conference loss, and the three times are a combined 28-7.
Keeping LaPorte out of the paint, Pioneer jumped out to a 36-2 lead at halftime. Ashlynn Brooke had 13 points in the first half. The pick-and-roll with Attinger setting a screen for Ashlynn Brooke is a common play.
“In practice, I usually work with Ashlynn, and we go off each other, and I work really in the post, and we just do post moves, and that’s what I work on,” Attinger said. “(Confidence) is a game-changer. It’s for sure a game-changer. If you’re not confident, you’re not going to play your best game.”
Ashlynn Brooke finished with three 3-pointers, but Pioneer also relied on getting in the paint. They went 20 for 29 from the foul line and also relied on points in transition. Strycker had eight points in the second half.
“I think that’s always an advantage when you get some points in the paint,” coach Brooke said. “They play a really aggressive man-to-man defense, and I thought we were able to turn the corner, and our posts did a nice job getting inside today.”
Pioneer 63, LaPorte 14
LAPORTE (14) (0-11)
Taylor Reaves 2 0-0 6, Abby Allen 0 0-0 0, Abbey Schreeg 0 0-2 0, Lauren Poe 0 0-0 0, Elizabeth Wallace 3 0-1 6, Katie Bellah 1 0-0 2, Keilaeyah Roundtree 0 0-0 0, Raeondriya Dawsey 0 0-0 0
TEAM: 6 0-3 14
PIONEER (63) (8-1)
Crystabelle Blickenstaff 3 0-2 6, Ashlynn Brooke 5 6-6 19, Paula Collado Fernandez 3 4-6 10, Gracie Hopper 2 0-0 4, Kylie Attinger 1 8-8 10, Julia McGrew 1 1-3 3, Makenna Strycker 5 1-2 11, Kynzie Hathaway 0 0-0 0, Mia McKaig 0 0-2 0
TEAM: 20 20-29 63
Three-point field goals:
LaPorte 2 (Reaves 2),
Pioneer 3 (Brooke 3)
Total fouls: LaPorte 19, Pioneer 7
Score by quarters
LaPorte 2 0 6 6 – 14
Pioneer 18 18 17 10 – 63
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