Basketball Recap: Pioneer Falls Despite Big Games from Rick Reister and Melvir Pooni

Pioneer was not able to break out of their rough patch on Wednesday as the team picked up their 11th straight loss. They were five points away from ending the streak, but they lost a 62-57 heartbreaker at the hands of the Wood Wildcats. The Patriots were up 40-25 in the second quarter but couldn't hold on to the lead.

Rick Reister

Field Goal Percentage (Career)

02/12/25 @ Wood	86%
12/06/24 vs Dixon	67%
02/05/25 @ River City	50%
12/30/24 vs Armijo	50%
11/26/24 @ Colfax	44%

Melvir Pooni and Rick Reister certainly did their best on Wednesday to avoid the loss. Pooni went 5-for-10 on his way to 13 points and three steals, while Reister went 6-for-7 en route to 12 points and seven rebounds. The dominant performance also gave Reister a new career-high in field goal percentage (86%). Another player making a difference was Bodie Britton, who posted nine points.

Even though they lost, Pioneer was working as a unit and finished the game with 16 assists. They racked up six more assists than Wood's also-impressive total of ten.

J Anthony Dennard was his usual excellent self, going 9-for-19 to rack up 26 points along with seven boards and three steals for Wood. Nate Holland was another key player, putting up 14 points and six rebounds.

Pioneer's defeat dropped their record down to 6-21. As for Wood, their record is now 13-14.

Pioneer has already played their next matchup, a 95-54 loss against Sacramento on the 14th. As for Wood, they also wasted no time getting back out on the court and have already played their next game, a 56-55 defeat against Vacaville on the 14th.