MaxPreps Student Section: Patriots are playoff bound

Pioneer finishes the regular season (19-6) (6-4).

Thumbnail image of this articles writer: Annie Jenkins
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Feb 17, 2010, 12:00am

The Pioneer (Woodland, Calif.) Patriots Varsity Basketball team is headed into Wednesday, February 17th with a plan to execute, a desire to dominate, and a season-long goal to carry on the hopes of the team dream to play at Arco Arena in the Playoffs. But first, the Patriots must wrap up Tri-County Conference play as the second-seed in which they host Natomas High School on Wednesday at 7PM and Inderkum High School of Natomas at 7PM on Friday, February 19th in the annual TCC Tournament. Good Luck Patriots!! As the cheerleader chant goes, “Patriots… you know we are the best, we’re better than the rest-YES!-Black, Gold, and White!”
Guard Stefan Favila
Guard Stefan Favila
Photo by David Steutel


Let’s take a look back and see how far we have come. Pioneer finished the pre-season with a sizzling 13-2 record, placing high in several tournaments and winning the Dixon Ram Jam Tournament. The Patriots opened up TCC play on January 12, 2010 against the Natomas Nighthawks. After jumping out to a 12-4 lead with 1:31 left in the first quarter, the Nighthawks surged back and the score was 15-11 at the end of the first quarter. By halftime, the Patriots led by a single point, with a 26-25 advantage. With 7:05 left in the third quarter, Natomas took its first lead of the game, 28-30, but not for long. 6’6” James Tillman of Pioneer answered back with one of his several dunks on the night to spark excitement in the crowd. By the end of the 3rd quarter, Pioneer had taken command with a 54-45 lead and never once looked back. On Pioneer Coach Reese’s 46th birthday, his Patriots provided him with a 76-62 victory over the visiting Natomas Nighthawks. Pioneer’s Stefan Favila finished with a game-high 22 points.

January 15, 2010 marked a special day on the calendar in the Patriots’ locker room for several reasons: it was Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday and  a heart-warming homecoming for Stephen Smith and Mark Jones- Inderkum High School’s Varsity Basketball coaches. For the previous four seasons, Smith and Jones had been the beloved coaches of the Varsity and Junior Varsity Girls’ Basketball teams at Pioneer. On this game night, the stands were filled with former Lady Patriots who had come to watch Smith and Jones coach their Tigers. Torn between their admiration for Smith and Jones and their loyalty to the Pioneer boys, these girls were sure in for a game to remember.

 With pre-game emotions set aside and the Patriots playing without three-point specialist #21 Tyler Smith- Brothers, who was sick at home with strep throat, Pioneer opened the game with a very sloppy 6-17 hole to dig out of by the end of the first quarter. By halftime, the Patriots had bounced back within four points, but were still searching for an answer in the 32-36 deficit. The Inderkum Tigers were on the prowl and hungry for a win against a familiar foe. With 1:37 left in the 3rd, Pioneer gained much needed intensity on a James Tillman long-range three pointer that pulled the booming crowd to its feet, hands clapping, feet stomping, voice cheering loud and proud for the boys in white. The third quarter ended in a 54-54 tie.

Over the next seven minutes of the fourth quarter, Pioneer and the fast-paced, fast-breaking Inderkum continued to grind it out, with neither team securing more than a seven point lead, and only to watch any lead disappear within a matter of seconds. 1:27 remained in the game and Pioneer trailed 71-72. With 0:38 left, Pioneer missed two free throws that all but sealed the deal. Inderkum missed one free throw at 0:35, but grabbed the offensive rebound. The Tigers then turned the ball over when Ian Luellen stepped on the baseline, which gave Pioneer a fighting chance with a timeout taken by Coach Barry Reese at 0:28.

Pioneer inbounded the ball and as the clock wound down, Pioneer was still looking for an answer to the Tigers’ stingy defense. With all fans on their feet, Pioneer held its breath as 6’5” Alan Kritscher, the big rebounding man usually found under the basket, had stationed himself behind the three-point line and was ready to dial long distance.  He received a pass from Stefan Favila and instead of passing back to Tillman or Favila, Kritscher looked at the clock, launched the ball with perfect technique, and watched helplessly as the ball bounced off the rim, rolled around…and went in…right as the final buzzer sounded.  The Pioneer High School gymnasium erupted into sounds of cheers as teammates mauled Kritscher as he had just sunk the game-winning basketball for a 74-72 win over the Inderkum Tigers. 

When asked how he felt to have shot the buzzer-beating three-pointer, Kritscher smiled and humbly offered a, “I feel good!” as he graciously accepted hugs and “congratulations” from family and friends. James Tillman was the leading scorer for the Patriots with 22 points.

The next eight games on the TCC League Schedule proved to be challenging and invited Pioneer to show what caliber this team was really made of. Heart, desire, and adrenaline pumping through their veins gave the Patriots the strength to dominate the opposition and rebound from a string of back-to-back losses in which Pioneer lost by a combined total of five points.

On January 19, 2010, Pioneer suffered as 57-60 defeat to the River Valley Falcons of Yuba City. Stefan Favila led the way for Pioneer with 24 points.

On January 21, 2010, Pioneer lost a heartbreaker to the Yuba City Honkers in a 67-69 crushing loss in Overtime. Stefan Favila was the leading scorer for the Patriots with 19 points.

 January 27, 2010 wrapped up the first half of a ten game league schedule for the Patriots as they crushed cross-town rival Woodland High with a 76-51 blowout. James Tillman led the Patriots with 28 points and Alan Kritscher chipped in 25 points in the win.

January 29, 2010, the Patriots soared higher than the Nighthawks with an 81-61 victory. Stefan Favila scored 29 points and James Tillman added 21 points.
Alan Kritscher
Alan Kritscher
Photo by David Steutel


The Patriots’ TCC Title Crown hopes took a backwards spin in a 68-72 disappointing loss to revenge-seeking Inderkum on February 3rd. Stefan Favila erupted for 30 points in the loss, and James Tillman unloaded 22 points.

The Patriots bounced back with a reassuring 76-56 win over River Valley on February 5th with a 33-point effort from Tillman.

However, the team dropped an opportunity to challenge the Honkers of Yuba City as a late fourth quarter lead ended in a 71-83 rout on February 10th that clinched the TCC title for Yuba City for a consecutive season. James Tillman scored 22 points and Alan Kritscher netted 20 points in the defeat. 

A confident and spirited 62-37 triumph on Senior Night against the cross-town rival Woodland Wolves on February 12th rounded out the Patriots’ regular season. James Tillman led the way for Pioneer with his exciting dunks and 14 points.

The anticipation of the playoffs awaits this team who believes it can win it all. The Patriots are led in scoring by forward James Tillman with point guard Stefan Favila not far behind his season point total; both players have scored nearly or above 400 points each. With the dynamics of a starting five: Nikhil Patel #10, Stefan Favila #12, Tyler Smith-Brothers #21, James Tillman #23, Alan Kritscher #25 and sixth-man Leslie Almodovar #15, Pioneer has the height, skill, and determination to succeed. Sac-Joaquin Section Playoffs, here come the Pioneer Patriots!

Player Spotlight: Alan Kritscher #25

Alan Kritscher, 18, is the only son of Steve and Yvonne Kritscher and last of four children (Sarah, Valerie, Megan, Alan). This is Alan’s 3rd year on Pioneer’s Varsity Basketball team as a starter. He is a 6’5” Forward. Alan began playing basketball around the age of five and has loved the sport ever since. As one of the nine seniors, Alan has assumed the leadership role as being one of two Team Captains, mentoring the younger players and pushing them to play hard. He has showed them how to be tough and play your heart out. Alan also plays traveling basketball with the Rocklin Warriors. When asked if he has a basketball inspiration, Alan replied, “My sister Megan.” (Megan currently plays collegiate basketball on scholarship with UC Santa Barbara.) As for his own aspirations of playing basketball in college, Alan humbly responded, “Wow, we’ll see, that would be pretty awesome!” Best of luck in your future Alan!

 
-Annie Jenkins, a MaxPreps Student Intern, is a junior at Pioneer High School in Woodland, California.

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