NORTHFIELD, MA (FRANKLIN COUNTY NOW) — The Pioneer boys basketball team kept its perfect record intact and emphatically punched their ticket to the WMass Boys Class D Championship Game with a 61-23 drubbing of Smith Academy on Wednesday night.
The Panthers exploded out of the gate, taking a 23-2 lead after one quarter of play. That first eight minutes was some of the best basketball Pioneer has played all season long. The Panthers extended on the lead from there and cruised to victory.
Kurt Redeker continued his amazing run of late, scoring a game-high 27 points.
The win avenged a loss at home to Duggan Academy at this same juncture of the tournament a year ago. The Panthers will have a chance to claim the Western Mass title against those same Jayhawks, who advanced to the final with an 83-70 semifinal win over Hoosac Valley. Pioneer defeated Duggan back on February 10 in Springfield, 69-44.
The Boys Class D Final will be Saturday, likely at Westfield High School, at a time to be announced.
In the Girls Class B Semifinals, the fifth-seeded Frontier Red Hawks put on a late charge but fell to top-seed Pittsfield, 73-64, on Wednesday night in Pittsfield. The Red Hawks trailed by 20 at one point, before pulling to within a single point late in the fourth quarter.
The Red Hawks will now await their seeding for the upcoming state tournament.