The month of December was not the best for the Jonathan Alder girls’ basketball team. At the beginning of the month, on December 7, the Lady Pioneers played Shekinah Christian Schools. Everything seemed to be working for the Pioneers. The game finished with a whopping score of 85 to 33. After this game, however, things started to go downhill.

    The next day, December 8, the Lady Pioneers played Bishop Ready High School. This time it seemed as if everything was going Bishop Ready’s way. The Lady Pioneers fought hard but could not succeed with a final score of 32 to 49.

    Later that week, the girls had a tough battle against River Valley High School. After a hard fought game, the Lady Pioneers lost by two in overtime. The final score was 46 to 48.

   On December 12, the Lady Pioneers played another tough squad, Buckeye Valley High School. It was neck and neck the whole game. However, the Lady Pioneers once again fell short with a final of 40 to 45.

    After two weeks of hard losses, the Lady Pioneers finally broke their three game losing streak. The Lady Pioneers faced the girls of Galion High School. The Lady Pioneers came out on top with a final score of 64 to 26.

    On December 28, the Lady Pioneers faced Miami Trace, whose team consists of three girls over six foot. The Lady Pioneers are a rather short team. Their tallest player is freshman, Corrine Parker, standing at six foot. When she was asked what it’s like to play varsity as a freshman, she responded by saying, “It’s a little bit intimidating at first, but I got used to it and now it’s like being on any other team.” Miami Trace’s height was still a huge advantage over the Pioneers. The Lady Pioneers came up short, literally, with a final score of 48 to 27.

    A new year came, but the Lady Pioneers stayed the same. On January 2, the Pioneers faced London High School. The score was back and forth all the way up to the end when the Lady Raiders finally won, giving the Pioneers another loss. The final score was 49 to 45.

    On January 5, the Lady Pioneers played their rival in the league, North Union. The game had high intensity, a lot of yelling and tons of pressure on both teams. After four long quarters, the game still wasn’t over as the girls made their way into overtime. With three seconds to go, the Lady Pioneers were up by one point. A lot happened in that short time, and North Union managed to make a basket, winning the game 60 to 61.

    The last game the Pioneers had was January 8, against Fairbanks High School. The Lady Pioneers pulled out a victory with a final score of 57 to 42.

    This week the Lady Pioneers will play Saturday, January 16, at Marion Harding, tipoff at 7:30 pm; Tuesday, January 19, at Hilliard Darby, tipoff at 7:30 pm; Thursday, January 21, at home against Marion Pleasant, tipoff at 7:30 pm; and Saturday, January 23, at River Valley High School, tipoff at 7:30 pm.