The Pioneer boys basketball team has strung together three impressive weeks to end January. After a slow start to the new year, winning one and losing two in the first week of January, Alder has won six in a row. Those six wins highlight a win 59 to 47 over the Division-1 Hilliard Darby Panthers on January 19 and 60 to 44 win over their conference and county foe, Fairbanks.

    Junior guard Andrew Koenig’s scoring has assisted the Pioneers’ success over this long stretch. He put up a career-high 33 points against Fairbanks. When asked about his team’s success over the past few weeks, he said, “We have played really well as a team. We picked up some quality wins and that should be able to help us when it comes to the state tournament.“

    The Pioneers finish out January with a grueling, three game week. On Monday the 25th, Alder beat Shekinah Christian by a score of  90 to 77. They followed up the high scoring performance with a 56 to 31 win over North Union two days later. They face the Marion Harding Presidents on Friday the 29th.
    The 14 and 3 Pioneers are currently tied with Buckeye Valley for first place in the Red Division of the MOAC. They lost to the Barons by single digits earlier in January. If the Pioneers are able to win the important end of the season matchups, including Marion Harding on Friday, the boys basketball team should wind up at the top of their league for the first time since 2003.

    The team’s difficult schedule also features conference matchups away against River Valley, home for senior night against Pleasant, and on Tuesday, February 22, the Pioneers face Buckeye Valley at home for what could potentially decide the winner of the league.