By Jacob Hayes

NEWBERG --- The George Fox Bruins never held the lead on Senior Night, falling to the Lewis & Clark Pioneers by a final of 90-78.   

Recap   

The Pios were quick to score off the tip, taking an early 11-0 lead.  Levi Dalzell helped the Bruins settle in, hitting a three from the top of the arc that Ryan Laced followed up with a driving lay-up. A transition dunk from R. Lacey gave the Bruins life and put them on a small run. However, as the Bruins started gaining momentum, the Pios called time with 13 minutes left, leading 15-9.

Out of the break, the Pios scored eight straight to extend their lead, capped by a monster dunk from Kody Kennedy, but he was called for a technical foul for excessive celebration, giving R. Lacey two free points from the charity stripe.  Even with the tech, Lewis & Clark continued to turn up the intensity, getting another dunk in transition.  With just under eight mintues left in the half, the Pios' lead held at 25-11.

George Fox was not ready to bow out of the fight yet, going on a small run highlighted by a Januik three and full-court pass to Matthew Dirckx for an easy lay-up.  Ahlstrom and Mancol both got on the board soon after, both finishing nifty spinning lay-ups, but Lewis & Clark converted a 3-point play, holding the lead at 10.  The lead did not change as both teams traded shots in the final minute, ending the half at 41-31.

Januik start the scoring for the Bruins in the second half, going 4-5 from the free throw line, but the Pios continued to score at a high clip. R. Lacey laid in a gorgeous reverse lay-up that Ahsltrom and Mancol followed up with their own. Januik hit a three in transition, but the Pios came back on the next possession to hit their own three and draw a foul during the shot, extending their lead to 63-48.   

Out of the media timeout, Dirckx scored on a reverse lay-up preceding Michael Mercado-Smith and R. Lacey's clean mid-range jumpers.  Januik swished a three on the next possession, but the Bruins could not get a stop, unable to bring the lead down.  Nonetheless, the Bruins still fought.  Even with the score at 71-57, Ahlstrom finished another lay-up and Januik got behind the defense to bring the lead back down to 10.   

Down the stretch, the Pios pushed the ball in transition, especially off of turnovers, often ending in lay-ups or free throws.  With 253 left, the lead ballooned to 82-67.  Even with time winding down, George Fox fought all the way to the final whistle.  A full-court press began to get turnovers that the Bruins converted on, bringing the score to 75-84.  Ahlstrom hit a three with 45 seconds left to bring the lead down to eight, but there was not enough time to get any closer.  After it was all said and done, the Pios won the game 90-78.   

Top Performers  

Januik lead the Bruins in scoring with 21 points (5-13), five rebounds, and two assists. Ahlstrom finished with 15 points (6-12) with a block and a steal. R. Lacey had 14 points on the night (6-14) with eight rebounds, three assists, and three steals.  Off the bench, Dirckx finished perfect from the field (3-3) for six points, two rebounds, two blocks, and two steals.  Mercado-Smith, meanwhile, left everything he had on the court in his last home game, notching 28 minutes of floor time with a pair of blocks, good effort in transition, and four boards in his first career start.

What It Means  

The Bruins fall to 8-16 overall and are 4-11 in conference play with one game left on the 2019-20 slate after splitting the season series with the Pios.

What Happens Next 

George Fox goes on the road to play their last game of the season against the Puget Sound Loggers. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:00pm at the Pamplin Sports Center.