Ann Arbor Pioneer @ Saline: 10 Best
Recap Ann Arbor Pioneer made the short trip to Saline for an SEC tilt. Both teams were coming off big conference wins. Saline topped Bedford while Pioneer defeated Ann Arbor Skyline. From the tip, the game started as the Drew Lowder and Kasean…
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Ann Arbor Pioneer made the short trip to Saline for an SEC tilt. Both teams were coming off big conference wins. Saline topped Bedford while Pioneer defeated Ann Arbor Skyline.
From the tip, the game started as the Drew Lowder and Kasean Pryor show. Lowder had 5 quick points while Pryor added a triple to jump to take an 8-5 lead. The game quickly became a defensive struggle with Saline forcing Pioneer into very long possessions. Meanwhile, Saline attacked the basket but couldn’t hit contested mid range jumpers. Pioneer led 16-9 at the end of the 1st quarter.
In the 2nd stanza, Pioneer started pushing the tempo and getting their athletes into the open floor. They raced out to a 9 point lead before Saline buckled down. A Griffin Yaklich 3 pointer cut the Pioneer lead 4. Lowder responded with a drive to the right through contact. He connected on the layup and drew a foul. The free throw extended the lead to 28-21 at the half.
Pioneer got 2 close looks at the basket to open the 3rd quarter. Pioneer took advantage of Saline going cold from the free throw line and built a 14 point lead. Yaklich and Trevor Arico combined for the next 7 Saline points, cutting the Pioneer lead to single digits.
Yaklich opened the 4th quarter with a layup on a nice spin move. He drew the foul and connected on the And 1. This cut the lead to 6 at 40-34. After a Pryor bucket, Yaklich buried a deep triple. Lowder fought off Saline scoring 4 straight points. The first 2 coming on a put back bucket where he corralled the rebound surrounded by 4 Saline players. Pioneer’s lead hit double figures on an emphatic dunk by Pryor. Yaklich and Arico triples cut the Pioneer lead to 48-43. Saline got as close as 4 with 7.4 seconds left. Pioneer added an Aiden Wright free throw with 5.8 seconds on the clock. The horn sounded, giving Pioneer a 53-48 victory.
10 Best
Best Post Scorer: Christopher Holmes (2020, C)
Holmes used his strength to impose his will in the paint. He got close looks at the basket and delivered at a high percentage.
Best Driving The Baseline: Aiden Wright (2019, G/F)
Wright looked really comfortable in the corners. He had a quick first step and routinely found a path to the basket on the basline.
Best At Being Explosive: Drew Lowder (2019, PG)
Lowder is a must see player. He has a lightning fast first step and beats the defender to the basket. Every time he touched the ball, the crowd held its breath.
Best Key Player: Griffin Yaklich (2020)
Saline plays through Yaklich. He’s the primary ball handler and scorer. The offense begins and ends with Yaklich. Generally, if Yaklich is playing well, the Hornets are a tough team.
Best Player With Length: Kasean Pryor (2019, F)
Pryor is long and forces his opponent to play around him or through him. He’s a dangerous shooter who can go over top of tbe defense. Pryor also uses his length to contest shooters.
Best Defender: Mac Van Renterghem (2020, G)
This kid battles on defense. He’s always communicating with teammates and plays chest to chest defense.
Best Off The Bench: Anthony Ferrari (2021, G)
Ferrari may not blow up the scorebook, but he’s so reliable for Saline off the bench. He plays defense, rebounds, and scores in an efficient manner.
Best Underclassmen: Tyler Belskus (2021, F)
Belskus is an athletic forward with a very good future ahead of him. He’s comfortable attacking the basket or shooting a jumper as deep as the arc.
Best Upside For Thr Rest Of The Season: Trevor Arico (2020, G)
Arico recently returned from injury. As he gets back in game shape, he’ll be a feature player. Arico is one of the most damgerous shooters in the SEC and will have a huge finish to the season.
Best Do It All Role Player: Alex Cunningham (2019, G/F)
Every team needs an Alex Cunningham. He was willing to play whatever role his coach needed him to play. Cunningham made very few mistakes, played defense, and rebounded.