McKaig scores 20, Sweet gets double-double as Panthers notch first win

BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS

Sports Editor, RTC

Boys basketball

Pioneer 57, North Miami 55 (2 OT, Dec. 10): Drew McKaig scored 20 points, and Caleb Sweet scored 18 points and grabbed 17 rebounds for the visiting Panthers in a win over host North Miami in two overtimes on Dec. 10.

Sweet scored 17 of his 18 points after halftime, including all three Pioneer field goals in the overtime periods. McKaig and Sweet combined to score 14 of Pioneer’s 16 points in the overtimes.

Brayden Erickson added 10 points.

Landen Hunt led North Miami with 24 points.

The game was tied at 19 at halftime, at 41 at the end of regulation and at 46 at the end of the first overtime.

Pioneer improved to 1-3 and beat North Miami for the first time in three years.

The teams could meet again in Class 2A, Sectional 36 at Rochester, which will be held from Feb. 28-March 4.

PIONEER (57) (1-3)

Drew McKaig 5 9-14 20, Rylahn Toloza 1 0-0 2, Brayden Erickson 4 1-7 10, Andrew Helton 0 1-2 1, Caleb Sweet 6 5-12 18, Micah Rans 1 0-0 3, Lucas Perry 1 1-2 3, Gage Harper 0 0-0 0

TEAM: 18 17-37 57

NORTH MIAMI (55) (1-4)

Hunt 7 9-12 24, Riley 1 0-0 2, Pickett 3 0-1 8, Blakely 0 3-4 3, Floyd 2 3-4 7, Wilcox 0 0-0 0, Binnion 1 0-0 2, Gosnell 0 4-6 4, Musall 2 0-0 5

TEAM: 16 19-27 55

Three-point field goals:

Pioneer 4 (McKaig, Erickson, Sweet, Rams),

North Miami 4 (Pickett 2, Hunt, Musall)

Total fouls: Pioneer 22, North Miami 29

Fouled out: Erickson (PIO), Blakely (NM), Gosnell (NM)

Score by quarters

Pioneer 8 11 13 9 5 11 – 57

North Miami 12 7 5 17 5 9 – 55