Sweet sensation: Senior scores 31, leads Pioneer past Tri-Township

BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS

Sports Editor, RTC

Boys basketball

Pioneer 55, Tri-Township 36 (Dec. 27): Caleb Sweet scored a career-high 31 points, including 15 in the second quarter, as the host Pioneer boys basketball team handled winless Tri-Township on Dec. 27.

Sweet outscored the entire Tri-Township team 23-19 over the first three quarters. He had all three of Pioneer’s 3-pointers in the second quarter.

Drew McKaig scored eight of his 10 points in the fourth quarter.

Pioneer (2-7) led 25-10 at halftime.

Tri-Township, formerly known as LaCrosse, fell to 0-8.

TRI-TOWNSHIP (36) (0-8)

Kneifel 0 2-2 2, Burkholder 2 9-10 14, Koselke 0 0-0 0, Welkie 2 2-2 6, Mertz 2 0-0 6, Bartels 0 2-2 2, Mills 1 0-3 3, Doms 0 3-4 3, Hood 0 0-0 0

TEAM: 7 18-23 36

PIONEER (55) (2-7)

Drew McKaig 5 0-0 10, Brayden Erickson 1 0-1 2, Rylahn Toloza 0 4-8 4, Lucas Perry 3 0-0 6, Caleb Sweet 13 2-4 31, Micah Rans 1 0-0 2, Andrew Helton 0 0-0 0, Noah Miller 0 0-0 0

TEAM: 23 6-13 55

Three-point field goals:

Tri-Township 4 (Mertz 2, Burkholder, Mills),

Pioneer 3 (Sweet 3)

Total fouls: Tri-Township 15, Pioneer 19

Turnovers: Tri-Township 12, Pioneer 7

Score by quarters

Tri-Township 2 8 9 17 – 36

Pioneer 8 17 9 21 – 55