Pirates open season 2-0
The Prairie Pirates opened their season with a pair of come-from-behind non league wins. Tuesday, Dec. 1 they beat Timberline 58-47 at Weippe and on Wednesday, Dec. 2 they won at Grangeville 61-52.
In the Pirates’ first game against Timberline in a number of years, Prairie took a 4-3 lead on a pair of baskets by Cole Schlader.
Timberline then got hot from 3-point range as they used 4 triples in the first quarter to build a 10-17 lead. On of those 3’s was from about 30 feet.
It was 12-17 at the end of the quarter after a short bank shot by Schlader.
Timberline hit another 3 to open the second quarter for their biggest lead of the game, 12-20.
A driving lay-up by Kyle Schwartz, a short bank shot by Zach Rambo and a putback by Tyler Wemhoff cut the lead to 18-20.
After a basket by Timberline, Prairie put together an 8-0 run to retake the lead. Wemhoff hit the front end of a 1 and 1. A steal by Schlader led to a basket. Schlader then converted a 3-point play on a drive to the hoop to give Prairie a 24-22 lead. He followed with a 12 foot jumper to make it 26-22.
Timberline’s 6^th and final 3 of the first half and third by guard Chase Hunter, cut the lead to 1 but Shane Hanson answered with a putback. After a Timberline free throw, Rambo closed out the first half scoring with a 3-point play for a 31-26 lead at the half.
Timberline opened the second half with 4 straight points to pull within 1 before Lane Schumacher scored on a lay-up.
Timberline again pulled within 1 with a basket but Schlader answered with a bank shot and then hit Prairie’s only 3-pointer of the game for a 38-32 lead.
Timberline answered with a 3 but the Pirates closed out the third quarter with a 6-0 run. Schwartz scored inside then Schlader scored a pair of baskets to make it 44-35.
Wemhoff opened the fourth quarter with a basket for a 46-35 Prairie lead.
After 2 Timberline free throws, Schumacher converted a 3-point play and Wemhoff added a lay-up off a great pass from the wing by Schlader that made it 51-38, Prairie’s biggest lead of the game.
Timberline scored 6 straight to cut the lead to 7 but never got any closer as the Pirates wound up winning by 11.
Schlader was the only Pirate in double figures with a game-high 24 points. Rambo and Wemhoff each scored 9 with Schumacher scoring 5. Schwartz and Hanson scored 4 each and Wyatt Ross scored 3.
Hunter led Timberline with 14 points but 11 of those were in the first half as the Pirates adjusted defensively and held him to just 2 shot attempts in the second half.
Timberline had a 36-42 edge on the boards with Wemhoff leading the Pirates with 10 rebounds while Schlader added 8 and Rambo 7.
Schlader had 6 steals and 4 assists while Wemhoff had 4 steals and Rambo had 3 assists.
Prairie was 25 for 60 from the field, 42%, and 7 for 18 at the line, 39%. Timberline was 16 for 47 from the field, 34%, and 7 for 17 at the line, 41%. They were 8 for 15 from 3-point range, 53%.
Prairie led all the way in the JV game as they jumped out to leads of 5-0 and 10-2 in the first quarter.
Travis Alfrey got the scoring started with a basket and Lee Forsmann made the second of 2 free throws. Shane Hanson then scored a putback to make it 5-0. Hanson’s basket was the first of 6 straight shots he made in the opening quarter as he helped Prairie take a 22-13 lead. Forsmann added 5 and Alfrey 4 in the quarter.
The scoring pace slowed in the second quarter as swing players Alfrey, Forsmann and Hanson all sat out.
It took Prairie nearly 2 minutes before they got on the board on Morgan Poxleitner’s putback. Fortunately the defense held Timberline to just 2 points in that time. Weston Riener followed with a 3-pointer that was answered with a 3 by Timberline.
Riener sank 2 free throws to make it 29-18 with 2:24 left and the only point in the final 2 minutes of the half was a free throw by Timberline as Prairie led 29-19 at the break.
Levi Walsh opened the second half scoring with a putback. Timberline was able to hit a pair of 3’s to pull within 7 at 32-25 before Prairie reeled off 12 straight points. Walsh started the run with a basket. Alfrey scored a putback. Riener sank another 3. Hanson scored a free throw. Hanson scored inside and Alfrey closed out the run with a steal and drive for a lay-up that made it 44-25.
Prairie took a 47-29 lead into the fourth quarter.
Timberline scored to open the fourth quarter then Poxleitner sank 2 free throws and Cody Kaschmitter scored a 3 for a 21-point lead at 52-31.
Prairie was held to a 3-point play by Colton McElroy over the final 5 minutes as Timberline outscored them 3-16 to pull within 8 at the finish. After McElroy’s points with 2:30 left, Timberline went to jacking up 3’s and made 3 of 8 attempts.
Hanson was the leading scorer for the JV’s with 18 points in just 2 quarters of action. Alfrey scored 9 with Riener scoring 8. Forsmann scored 5. Walsh, McElroy and Poxleitner scored 4 each with Kaschmitter scoring 3.
Prairie had a 61-42 advantage on the boards led by Poxleitner with 11. Hanson had 9 while Alfrey, McElroy and Forsmann each added 8 rebounds.
Riener, Ben Elven, Hanson and Alfrey each had 2 steals while McElroy had 4 assists.
The JV’s were 21 for 75 from the field, 28%, and 10 for 31 at the line, 32%. Timberline was 17 for 55 from the field, 31%, and 3 for 8 at the line, 38%.
Prairie       12 19 13 14 -58
Timberline 17   9   9 12 -47
Prairie-Schlader 11-24, 1-6, 24; Schwartz 2-4, 0-2, 4; Rambo 3-8, 3-3, 9; Schumacher 2-9, 1-1, 5; Wemhoff 4-9, 1-2, 9; Ross 1-2, 1-2, 3; Alfrey 0-0, 0-0, 0; Hanson 2-2, 0-2, 4. 3-pointers-Schlader.
Timberline-Larson 2-5, 0-0, 5; Brown 4-16, 0-1, 10; Nelson 1-5, 1-4, 3; C. Hunter 5-7, 1-3, 14; Christopherson 1-8, 3-5, 6; Wentland 2-3, 1-1, 6; L. Hunter 0-0, 0-0, 0; Stewart 0-1, 0-0, 0; Cram 1-2, 1-3, 3. 3-pointers-C. Hunter 3, Brown 2, Christopherson, Larson, Wentland.
The game at Grangeville, which would have been part of the Idaho County Shootout in a normal year, started out like the host Bulldogs were going to win by 40.
Grangeville jumped out to a 3-19 lead with Prairie’s only points coming on a driving lay-up by Schumacher and a free throw by Hanson.
Putting Hanson in the game was a move that helped stem the tide for the Pirates as the taller Bulldogs owned the boards to that point and Hanson gave them some size to combat the Bulldogs on the boards. Grangeville’s Miles Lefebvre was hitting everything he shot as he went 5 for 5 in the quarter for 11 points.
Prairie put together a 6-0 run late in the quarter as Hanson, Wemhoff and Schwartz each scored a basket to cut the lead to 10 before Lefebvre ended the quarter with a basket for Grangeville.
Grangeville scored to open the second quarter then Schlader, who had missed his first 4 shots and suffered a few first quarter turnovers, finally got on the scoreboard with a drive to the hoop.
The two teams traded points until Schlader sank a 3-pointer at the 4:20 mark that kicked off an 8-0 Pirate run. All 8 points were by Schlader who made 5 of 6 at the line after hitting the 3.
After a Grangeville free throw, Schlader hit 2 more at the line to cut the deficit to 25-29 at the half.
Prairie opened the second half with a 6-0 run to take their first lead of the game. Rembo hit a midrange jumper then Wemhoff scored on a feed from Schumacher to tie it. Schlader put the Pirates ahead with a 15 footer for a 31-29 lead with 5:35 left in the quarter.
Grangeville answered with a pair of baskets to retake the lead but a 3-pointer by Rambo put Prairie on top for good with 5:16 left in the third.  That kicked off a 14-0 Prairie run that put the Pirates up by double digits.
Schlader followed with a 16 footer. Wemhoff scored inside on a great pass from Schlader. Schlader sank 2 free throws. Wemhoff again scored inside and Schlader finished off the run with a 3.
Lefebvre broke the run with a basket for Grangeville but Wemhoff followed with a 3 and Schlader banked one in at the buzzer for a 50-35 lead after 3 quarters.
Grangeville scored twice to open the fourth quarter and cut the lead to 11 but a steal by Schlader led to a lay-up by Wemhoff and Rambo sank his second 3 of the game to push the lead to 16 at 55-39 with 5:30 to play.
Grangeville got back within single digits with a pair of 3-pointers plus a 2-point basket in a 0-8 run that pulled them within 55-47 with 2:45 left.
A lay-up by Schlader put Prairie back up by 10.
After a Grangeville basket, Schlader hit a short range jumper and then sank both ends of a 1 and 1 to put Prairie up 61-49 with 1:01 left to play.
Grangeville hit a 3 with 23 seconds left to cut the final margin to 9 points.
Schlader wound up with 29 points to lead all scorers with Wemhoff adding 15 points. Rambo scored 8 with Hanson adding 5 points and Schwartz and Schumacher 2 each.
Grangeville had a 32-40 edge on the boards. Schlader led Prairie with 8 rebounds with Wemhoff adding 7.
Schlader had 4 steals and 6 assists while Wemhoff had 2 steals and Rambo had 3 assists.
Prairie was 21 for 52 from the field, 40%, and 14 for 17 at the line, 82%. Grangeville was 23 for 60 from the field, 38%, and 3 for 8 at the line, 38%.
Lefebvre led the Bulldogs with 20 points with Blake School adding 11.
The Pirates are 2-0 on the season.
The JV’s started hot, cooled off in the second quarter and then finished well for a 54-48 win.
Prairie jumped out to an 8-0 lead in the game as Forsmann scored 5 points and Riener added 2 points after making a steal. Alfrey added 5 points in the quarter as Prairie took a 14-6 lead.
Prairie built the lead to 20-10 in the second quarter on 2 baskets by Forsmann and a basket by Noah Behler.
Prairie then hit a lull as they were outscored 2-14 the rest of the half with Walsh scoring Prairie’s only 2 points. Grangeville took a 22-24 lead at the half on a 3-point play with 18 seconds left.
Hanson scored from the baseline to tie the game in the third quarter and then drove in for a lay-up to put Prairie back on top 26-24. Walsh scored a putback to make it 28-24.
Prairie led just 32-29 with 2:39 left in the third quarter but put together a 9-2 run to end the third and take a 41-31 lead into the fourth. Forsmann scored on a drive the Alfrey scored after making a steal. Forsmann hit a 3 for a 39-29 lead. Grangeville broke the 7-0 run with a basket but Walsh finished off the quarter with a basket inside.
A steal by Forsmann led to a basket by Riener to open the fourth quarter. Grangeville scored but Prairie answered with a basket each by McElroy and Forsmann for a 47-33 lead.
Prairie then held off a Grangeville rally as the Bulldogs out scored them 7-15 the rest of the way to cut the final margin to 6 points.
Forsmann wound up leading the scoring with 18 points with Walsh also in double figures with 10. Alfrey and McElroy added 7 points each with Hanson scoring 6, Riener 4 and Behler 2.
Prairie dominated the boards 47-32 with Forsmann pulling off a double-double with 17 rebounds.
Forsmann, Alfrey and Riener each had 2 steals and Alfrey had 3 assists to lead the team.
The JV’s were 24 for 59 from the field, 41%, and 5 for 13 at the line, 38%. Grangeville was 18 for 57 from the field, 32%, and 10 for 14 at the line, 71%.
Prairie          9 16 25 11-61
Grangeville 21   8   6 17 -52
Prairie-Schlader 8-17, 11-13, 29; Schwartz 1-7, 0-0, 2; Rambo 3-9, 0-0, 8; Schumacher 1-6, 0-0, 2; Wemhoff 6-9, 2-2, 15; Hanson 2-3, 1-2, 5. 3-pointers-Schlader 2, Rambo 2, Wemhoff.
Grangeville-D. Lindsley 2-6, 1-4, 5; Lefebvre 9-17, 1-1, 20; School 5-11, 0-1, 11; Ebert 1-7, 0-0, 2; Frei 1-6, 1-2, 3; J. Lindsley 3-5, 0-0, 7; Wimer 2-8, 0-0, 2. 3-pointers-Lefebvre, School, J. Lindsley.