Warriors place fifth in tournament
Staff writer
The PBHS Warriors earned a fifth place trophy Monday afternoon at the Burrton Invitational Tournament. In the three-game series, the team suffered a first-round loss to top seed Central Christian, 69-53. They came back to win the final two rounds, defeating Pretty Prairie, 67-64, and Fairfield, 54-41. The Warriors will spend this week in practice, preparing to get back on the court against Canton-Galva.
Central Christian
PBHS opened first round play against the number one seed, Central Christian. The Warriors were down 6-0 early in the quarter, but played back to a tie at the buzzer, 8-8. Jacob Simmonds, Trevor Hamm, Derrick Simmonds, and Duane Unruh all got on the score board with a basket each.
Both offenses had a solid second quarter. The Warriors took the one-point edge to the locker room at the half, 27-26. Todd Woodruff had three treys to lead the PBHS scoring. D. Simmonds had four. Unruh, Jake Middleton, and Adam Benson each added a basket.
Central Christian offense made a statement in the third, dumping in 25 points. Warrior offense couldn't match-up and the deficit at the end of three quarters was 12, 51-39. J. Simmonds paced the team with five. Bishop had a trey. Hamm added a basket and Unruh and Andrew Loucks each added a free throw.
PBHS managed to score 14 in the fourth but trailed by as many as 20 late in the game. D. Simmonds had eight in the final quarter. Unruh had four and Bishop put in a basket.
Scoring
D. Simmonds, 14. Todd Woodruff, 9. Unruh, 9. J. Simmonds, 7. Bishop, 5. Hamm, 4. Benson, 2. Middleton, 2. Loucks, 1.
Pretty Prairie
In game two against Pretty Prairie, PBHS grabbed the early lead, 5-2. Five Warriors collected 16 points to take the five-point advantage at the end of the first period, 16-11. D. Simmonds led the way with six. Unruh added four. Benson, Hamm, and J. Simmonds each had a basket.
The Warriors continued to create scoring opportunities with good ball handling and defensive pressure. The Bulldogs pulled to within a basket, 19-17, but the PBHS squad held on to the five-point margin at the half, 32-27. Unruh paced the team with nine. D. Simmonds added four and J. Simmonds had a trey.
Bulldog offense tied the game at 34 with six minutes left on the clock in the third quarter. Scoring remained tight and the Bulldogs claimed the one-point lead at the end of the quarter, 44-43. Pretty Prairie applied defensive pressure in the third and held the Warriors to 11 points. D. Simmonds had five. Hamm had four and Unruh added a basket.
Warrior offense came back to claim the lead early in the fourth, 45-44, but the quarter remained up for grabs. With just under two minutes to play, PBHS took a three-point lead and the team held on to the margin for the win, 67-64. D. Simmonds had seven, including five free throws. Nathan Bishop had six. Hamm and Unruh added four each and Todd Woodruff put in a basket. J. Simmonds contributed a free throw.
Scoring
D. Simmonds, 22. Unruh, 19. Hamm, 10. Bishop, 6. J. Simmonds, 6. Woodruff, 2. Benson, 2.
Fairfield
The final game was an even match in the first quarter with both teams earning 12 points. The opponent exploited the perimeter, while PBHS had five Warriors put points on the board. D. Simmonds put in four. Woodruff, Bishop, J. Simmonds, and Aaron Burnett each added a basket.
PBHS offensive production heated up from three-point land in the second with Middleton connecting on two treys. J. Simmonds also added a three. Unruh chipped in a two. The opponent continued to find the hoop with the addition of 13 and took a two-point edge at the half, 25-23.
Bishop sunk a trey early in the second half to start a PBHS three-point assault. D. Simmonds added five treys to help the Warriors pull away. Warrior defense held the other team to eight points. PBHS led 41-33 at the end of the period.
The opponent closed to within five in the fourth, but the Warriors held on for the win, 54-41, and earned fifth place in the tournament. Unruh had six in the final period. D. Simmonds added four. Woodruff put in a basket and Benson contributed a free throw.
Scoring
D. Simmonds, 23. Unruh, 8. Middleton, 6. Bishop, 5. J. Simmonds, 5. Woodruff, 4. Burnett, 2. Benson, 1.
