By ADAM WOLFE
ROYAL CENTER — If you were looking for something exciting in athletics after the big football game on Sunday, than Pioneer High School was the place to be Tuesday night. The Panthers played host to county rival Lewis Cass and fittingly the game came down to the wire with the Kings winning the battle 48-45.
After a sloppy first half for both teams, Cass (5-8) used a solid run off a pair of inside buckets by Damon Foreman (13 points) and another from Jake Rouch to build an 18-13 halftime advantage.
It was the third quarter where things started getting interesting. Both teams came out firing as they traded buckets with Cass still ahead 24-20 after a Pioneer three. It was then that Keith Lee (10 points) took over for the Kings. Lee buried a long range 3-pointer before darting inside on back-to-back possessions for a quick 7-0 run and a 31-20 lead.
“Keith [Lee] is a great athlete and I love coaching him,” Cass coach Matt Carver said. “He is never negative and he works extremely hard. He just comes in and knocks down big shots. That takes pressure off the other guys and he has been doing that consistently lately.”
The Kings continued to dominate the quarter as they took what seemed to be a commanding 35-23 lead into the final stanza.
“We needed to come out with more intensity,” Pioneer coach David McWherter said. “That falls on me. We kept fighting and we were able to play our game in the fourth quarter.”
The fourth quarter was a heart-stopper for fans and coaches alike. Midway through the period the Panthers (3-10) came alive. Down 41-30, Pioneer received a lift from Deven Lee off the bench who scored on a pair of layups. It was then Mitchell Petrie’s turn to score before Jimmy Roller (14 points) buried another 3-pointer to cut the lead to 46-41.
Pioneer then got to the foul line and Roller connected on four straight free throws to bring the score to within one. It would get no closer, however, as both Lee and Foreman connected on free throws to put the Panthers away.
“We talked to the guys about this game being a sectional atmosphere,” Carver said. “Teams are going to fight like this and it’s going to go wire-to-wire. We have to stay hungry despite a lead and continue to persevere.”
Cass travels to Class 3A No. 10 Peru on Friday night.
