Basketball Recap: Aidan Bare's Big Game Can't Quite Lead Pinon over Northland Prep Academy

If Pinon was feeling good fresh off their 88-51 takedown of St. Michael back in December of 2024, their most recent game may have dampened their spirits a bit. The Pinon Eagles took a 62-48 bruising from the Northland Prep Academy Spartans on Tuesday. The result was an unpleasant reminder to the Eagles of the 50-44 loss they experienced in the pair's previous head-to-head fixture back in January of 2024.

Pinon lost despite a true team effort on offense, the best among them being Aidan Bare, who posted 21 points. Bare's evening made it four games in a row in which he has scored at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Harrison Crosby, who dropped a double-double on 12 points and 14 boards.

Even though they lost, Pinon smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 22 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 21 offensive boards in 13 consecutive games.

Northland Prep Academy's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Ian Karren led the charge by going 9 of 20 on his way to 18 points and six rebounds. Those 18 points gave Karren a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Jack Beckstead, who put up ten points in addition to eight boards and three steals.

Pinon's defeat was their first in the region, dropping their region record down to 3-1 and their overall record down to 7-6. As for Northland Prep Academy, they are on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five matches, which provided a massive bump to their 9-7 record this season.

Pinon wasted no time getting back out on the court and has already played their next contest, a 50-47 victory against Round Valley on the 11th. As for Northland Prep Academy, they also didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next game, a 71-67 win against Williams on the 9th.