LOWELL, MA (FRANKLIN COUNTY NOW) — 26 games. 26 opponents. 26 opportunities to get tripped up. But, ultimately, 26 consecutive victories, punctuated by yet another defensive masterpiece.
The Pioneer Panthers boys basketball team completed a perfect season and the first state championship for the program since 1997 in a 49-28 dismantling of the Hopedale Blue Raiders in Saturday’s MIAA Division 5 Boys Basketball Final at Tsongas Center in Lowell.
After a cold shooting start to the game that saw the Panthers trailing 11-10 after one quarter, Pioneer blitzed the Blue Raiders in the second and third quarters, outscoring Hopedale by an astonishing 32-7 margin, rendering the fourth quarter more a coronation than a competition.
Brayden Thayer exploded out of the gate and never let up, scoring a game-high 26 points, despite not scoring in the fourth quarter when the issue had been decided. Alex McClelland had 15 points in a solid all-around effort.
Defensively, it was another virtuoso performance from Kurt Redeker, who regularly draws the toughest defensive assignments and has been able to shut down the opponents’ top scorers. Redeker made life miserable for Hopedale’s perimeter shooters, most notably top scorer Patrick Madden.
Saturday’s win was the third overall title in program history, following back-to-back championships in 1996 and 1997 and a runner-up finish in 1998.