The Pioneers of Riverview, Gabriel Richard, hosted the Dragons of Summit Academy in a thrilling game that saw the Pioneers come out victorious by a final score of 58-55.
Chippy Ending
While it was a great game, it was overshadowed by an on-court issue that had to be broken up at the end of the game. Fans stormed the court, and something was said, and there was chaos on the court. It was broken up fairly quickly, but tempers stayed fiery hot. Part of the chippy ending might have been due to an earlier incident where Summit star Dontez Scott got the air knocked out of him, and a student from the Gabriel Richard student section said something towards him, and the coach and players of Summit took offense to that.
Summit
Foul Trouble
It’s never good to get into foul trouble in a game, and that is huge with the change this year, where everything is two shots after five fouls. That played a big factor in this one for Summit as they finished the game with 20 called fouls and two players fouled, including Dontez Scott, who fouled out with time still left in the fourth and with Summit making a comeback. Losing their leader down single digits hurt and could have played a part in them losing this one. Scott had 15 points when he fouled out, and he was one of three players to make a basket in the fourth quarter.
Gabriel Richard
Not Afraid
Coming into this showdown against Summit, a team that made it to the final four last year, and they weren’t afraid to go toe to toe with them. While the first quarter ended in a tie, the half ended with Summit up seven, and it stayed there heading to the fourth quarter. That is usually a good sign for Summit, but this Gabriel Richard team was up for the challenge. They clawed their way back into this one by out-scoring Summit 19 to 9 in the final quarter. Leading the charge for Gabriel Richard was Nick Sobush, who scored nine points in the final frame.
Sobush Sogood.
The Junior Guard Nick Sobush might be one of the most underrated players in the state of Michigan. Sobush led the way for the Pioneers of Gabriel Richard with 21 points, two rebounds, two assists, and two steals. However, it wasn’t his stats that made him stick out to us; although it was a great showing for the young man, it was the energy and enthusiasm he brought during the game. It was also the toughness that he showed. Sobush got fouled hard a few times, and each time, he bounced up and was ready to go. He was the heart and soul of his team and was willing his team to victory to make sure that they weren’t going to lose.
Young Pioneers
The Gabriel Richard Pioneers have a 12-man roster; of those 12, only one player is a Senior. That one Senior is EJ Bennett, who plays a Guard/Forward role. While he did start and play a significant role for his team, scoring eight points and grabbing five rebounds, it was the young guys like Nick Sobush, Luke Westerdale, Drew Everingham, and Charles Kage who helped lead the charge. Sobush and Westerdale were the two main guys on the team, as they combined for 35 points, eight rebounds, six assists, and two steals. The experience they gained from this game and what they will get from the rest of the season will make these young pioneers better in the long run.