LYNNFIELD — Chalk up the Pioneers’ 56-19 loss to visiting Pentucket on Friday night to a learning experience.
While both teams struggled early with turnovers, once the Sachems got it in gear, it was lights out for the Pioneers.
“We are so young, so it’s hard when you come up against a team like Pentucket,” said head coach Sue Breen. “We don’t have a lot of kids, but they fought hard and adjusted. Offensively, we are going to be limited. That team was really physical, so sometimes it can get really hard. If we can’t turn another team over, it’s going to be tough to score, but I like how they competed – and they are going to get better.”
The Sachems jumped out to 9-2 lead in the first five minutes, but baskets by junior captain Taylor Valiton and senior captain Ava Gamache sandwiched around a Sachems’ free throw closed the gap to 10-6 with about two minutes left in the first quarter.
But then, the Sachems went on a 7-1 run to close out the quarter to a 17-7 lead.
The second quarter was all Pentucket, which outscored the Pioneers 17-3 to take a comfortable 34-10 lead into halftime.
While their offensive woes continued in the third quarter, the Pioneers’ defense stepped up to hold Pentucket to just seven points, which Breen said was a confidence-builder.
“When we went to the zone, they did a little bit better with that,” she said. “So, they got some confidence with that. At this part of the season, you are just trying to add pieces and gain confidence.”
The Pioneers have only four returners on the squad in Gamache and juniors Emma Rose, Valiton and Erika Pasquale, all of whom played hard from the get-go, according to their head coach.
“Erika Pasquale was awesome,” Breen said. “She has been a kid that is taking on so much more pressure for us as she guards the other team’s best player, which she also did last year as a sophomore. She is learning to become a leader and is bringing the ball up a lot more, too. That’s going to be really helpful for us.”
“Taylor is just a tough kid who rebounds the ball and plays so hard every minute of every game,” Breen said. “They’re all good, supportive teammates, so while this isn’t a fun game by any stretch… you have to play it. It’s on the schedule, so you have no choice.”
“I also thought Ava did a good job. She’s tough and brings a great attitude for the younger players, especially. Emma, too, is one of those four returners and has a great attitude. They just don’t give up – even when the ball isn’t going their way. They just keep fighting, all of them.”
With six freshmen on the 11-player varsity roster, Breen knows it’s all about getting better every day, and said she was pleased with the play of Hayden Valiton and fellow freshman Jordan Calichman.
“Hayden did well in the first half and then played just 30 seconds or so in the second until she was hurt, so she is going to get better every day,” Breen said. “The same with Jordan.”
Taylor Valiton scored a team-high six points, while freshman Maeve Wertz (5 points), Gamache (3) and Pasquale, Rose and Hayden Valiton (1 point apiece) also scored. For the Sachems, senior Gabby Bellacqua scored a game-high 21 points and Amelia Crowe was also in double-digits with 12.
At 0-2, the Pioneers are still in search of their first win. They have a chance to break through on Monday when they entertain Cape Ann League rival Hamilton-Wenham at home (5:30 p.m.).
