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In
their first home game of the season the Reedley Pirates rode their
tenacious defense to a decisive victory over the visiting Yosemite
Badgers, 73-38. The triumph pushed the Pirates' overall record
to 7-0.
The Pirates broke to
an early 4-0 lead on baskets by Colin Hofer and Pepijn Dekker off of
assists from Jon Lepp. But the youthful Yosemite squad battled
back and held a 12-9 lead with under two minutes left in the first
frame when the Pirates went on a 8-0 run to end the quarter.
The spurt was sparked by Abel Lucca, who handed out two assists and
scored a basket himself during the run.
The second quarter
was a veritable coming out party for sophomore center Andrew Busch.
The mobile Busch scored eight consecutive points for the Pirates
thanks to two assists each from senior mentors Lepp and Jordan
Penner.
The game was in hand
and it didn't matter that the Pirates did not drain their first three-point
shot until three minutes were left in the half when Lucca drilled a
trey. Instead the home team relied on their smooth running
half-court offense and their transition game to distance themselves
from their mountain foes. The Pirates were ahead 38-21 at the
half and the Reedley faithful could relax.
In the second half
the Pirates turned to their top scorer, senior guard Jon Wallen, to
nail down the victory. Wallen drilled three three-point shots
and added two penetrating drives to the basket in scoring 13 over
the final 16 minutes.
The Pirates balanced offense
saw eleven players score. Wallen finished with 17 on the
night, pacing the Pirates. He was followed by Lucca with 11,
Busch with 10, and Hofer with nine.
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