And then there was one. 

As the MIAA state tournaments enter the Round of 8, one Recorder area school remains standing. The Pioneer boys basketball team got one of its toughest tests of the season on Tuesday in a MIAA Div. 5 Round of 16 contest against KIPP Academy of Lynn, holding off a late charge to advance to the quarterfinals with a 60-59 victory. 

As it goes in the state tournament, the later you advance, the better the opponent. That’ll be the case on Friday, as the No. 4 Panthers host No. 5 Maynard, the defending Div. 5 state champions which are coming off an 84-39 victory over Greenfield in the Round of 16. 

Pioneer coach Scott Thayer said he has seen his team grow and make strides throughout the season, and believes his squad is ready for the challenges the Tigers present.

“I don’t sense bravado but I do sense some quiet confidence from our team,” Thayer said. “They have a ‘why not us?’ mentality. They know we’re good enough. This team carries itself in a great way and it’s great to watch.” 

The Panthers (20-3) have every reason to enter Friday’s game feeling good about themselves. After all, Pioneer is on a seven-game win streak dating back to Feb. 12. In that span the Panthers have captured the Hampshire League South title, a league where every team made the state tournament, in addition to winning a Western Mass. Class D title with a victory over Hopkins Academy in the final.

Pioneer opened the state tournament by breezing past Keefe Tech, 60-31, before its win over KIPP in the Round of 16. 

For a young team that doesn’t start a single senior, some might think the Panthers are a year ahead of schedule. Others would say they’re right on track. It’s never been an issue about talent, rather how the youthful group would handle the adversity that comes along throughout the year. So far, they’ve answered the bell.

“We’ve gotten better throughout the season,” Thayer said. “Our mental maturity is coming along and we’re starting to put it all together. If you told us at the beginning of the season we’d be league champs, Western Mass. champs and be playing an Elite 8 game, we would have signed up for that. The guys have gone out and earned it. We’re a good team and we’re here for a reason. This is going to be two good teams going at each other and it’ll be about who makes the most plays.” 

As the Tigers (14-7) showed against the Green Wave, they can beat you in a plethora of ways. Maynard knocked down 10 3-pointers in the first half alone against Greenfield to build a 32-point halftime lead. The club features a lineup full of players who can knock down shots from outside.

“They’re well coached,” Thayer said. “They have a rich tradition of basketball. They mirror us in ways. They have good guard play, they have a big kid [Abraao Alencar] who is nimble around the rim and a bunch of kids who can shoot the ball. The Greenfield game, they shot it really well. They’re a hard team to beat when they shoot like that.”

The player to watch on the Tigers is guard Nolan Currier. Everything Maynard does goes through him, as he uses his size to bully his way to the rim, is able to knock down shots from 3 and is a willing passer once he gets in the paint. 

Currier was a mainstay on the championship team from a season ago, and that postseason experience has shown thus far. 

“[Currier] is their best player,” Thayer said. “He’s pretty cagey and just a good basketball player. He seems to know the ins-and-outs of playing the game. He’s what makes them tick.” 

Currier scored 18 points against Greenfield, all coming in the first half. Daniel Terrell is a guard the Panthers will have to account for due to his shooting while Alencar is a physical player in the paint. 

Maynard plays physical and aggressive on the defensive end of the court, looking to force turnovers and use its speed to get easy looks on the other end. 

“Most of the film we’ve watched, they play an aggressive 2-3 zone,” Thayer said. “They’re active with their hands, they communicate well and turn turnovers into layups on the other end. We’ll have to play some of our best basketball on Friday. We’ll have to take care of the ball, value it and play with confidence like we’ve been doing.” 

Conversely, the Tigers also have players they’ll need to account for on Friday. The trio of Brayden Thayer, Kurt Redeker and Josh Wood have carried the scoring load for the Panthers throughout the season, all three averaging double figures. Thayer scored 17 points, Wood tallied 13 points and Redeker scored 10 points, snatched 15 rebounds and dished seven assists in the win over KIPP. 

As is the case this time of year, it’s the role players who step up that often make the difference. Against KIPP that was sophomore Alex McClelland, who scored nine of his 13 points in the fourth quarter to help seal the Panthers victory. Others like Hugh Cyhowski and Gavin Gammell will be called upon to step up as well. 

For Scott Thayer, it’ll be about staying composed in a packed Messer Gym, playing their game and not trying to do too much out there. 

“We can’t let the enormity of the moment get to us,” Thayer said. “It’ll be a packed gym, they’ll be bringing a fan bus and all that. The strongest muscle you have is between your ears. We talked about controlling our emotions. There’s such a build up to the game and that stuff can overtake you. Game one is the same as game 12 which is the same as game 19 and is the same as game 24. That’s how we need to take it. The court is the same and we just need to play how I know we can play.” 

This young core of Pioneer players grew up hearing about the Panthers winning Western Mass. and state championships. Now they are building their own legacy at the school, a new chapter of that new era.

“They’re a fun team to coach,” Thayer said. “It’s a really good group of kids and the community has gotten behind them. The kids are always asking about that 2018 team [that won a WMass title] and what the crowds were like and all that. I tell them I can explain it but you won’t know until you create it yourself. The last couple games the gym has been packed and it’s so cool to see. I’m glad they’ve gotten to experience it. You only get to experience it through hard work and that started the first Monday after Thanksgiving.” 

Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. at Messer Gym. Tickets must be purchased ahead of time on gofan.co, with the MIAA not allowing tickets to be purchased at the door after the Round of 16. 

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