The Pioneer Patriots lost against the Armijo Royals back in December of 2022, and unfortunately they wound up with the same result on Saturday. Pioneer took a 64-46 bruising from Armijo.
When it comes to explaining why Pioneer lost, one person who can't be blamed is Justin Starck. Despite the final result, he scored ten points along with five rebounds and three blocks. That's the first time this season that Starck posted two or more blocks. The team also got some help courtesy of Chancey Minshew, who scored 12 points.
Leading Armijo to victory were Isreal Legree and Daniel Williams. Legree scored 22 points, while Williams scored 26 points. That makes it three consecutive games in which Williams has scored at least 25% of Armijo's points. Another player making a difference was Alex Berginnis, who scored eight points.
Pioneer has traveled a rocky road recently, as they've lost four of their last five matches, which put a noticeable dent in their 7-7 record this season. As for Armijo, the win makes it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 4-5.
Both squads will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Pioneer and Dixon will face off at 7:30 p.m. on January 2nd without much rest after finishing up games yesterday. Armijo will be staying on the road on Tuesday to face off against West Campus at 3:30 p.m. on January 2nd. One thing working in West Campus' favor is that they have posted big point totals in their last eight matches.
