2006-2007 Freshmen Pioneers

Game Summaries

Game 1

Nov. 27 Kirkwood 52, U City 39

In their first game of the season, the Pioneers held off a late rally by the U City Lions to win, 52-39. Both teams got off to a slow start, but leading the way were Nathan McMahon (11 points, 6 reb) and Ahmad Hicks (11 pts, 3 reb, 3 ast) who helped break U City's pressure defense and pull away for the W. Hunter Ward also had 8 pts and 3 ast.

Game 2

Nov. 28 Vianney 50, Kirkwood 38

In their second game, Kirkwood fell a little flat, as Vianney's tight defense and inside scorers were too much for the Pioneers and they lost, 50-38. The Pioneers were down at halftime but cut the Griffin lead to 2 points, 32-30, with a minute remaining in the third quarter. Hunter Ward had 11 points and 8 rebounds, Ahmad Hicks 9 points 3 assists, Max Robinson 8 before fouling out, and Mike Felling added four assists.

Game 3

Nov 29 Kirkwood 53, Eureka 47

Down four at halftime, Kirkwood used their pressure defense and a solid transition game to defeat Eureka, 53-47. With a strong fourth quarter showing, The Pioneers were able to turn a one point deficit into a six point victory. Hunter Ward had 18 points and 5 rebs, including four key free throws in the last minute, Ahmad Hicks scored 16 with 5 rebs and 3 steals, and Nate McMahon, Max Robinson, and Joey Greenstein provided key inside presence. Mike Felling had six points off the bench, and Brian Walser converted key baskets down the stretch as the freshmen improved to 2-1.

Game 4

Lafayette 43, Kirkwood 33

Leading 11-6 going into the second quarter, Kirkwood was shut out for
the remainder of the half and could not catch up to the talented
freshmen at Lafayette HS, eventually losing 43-33. Though the teams
traded baskets throughout the second half, the Pioneers could not come
back all the way. Hunter Ward led the Kirkwood attack with 16 points
and 7 rebounds, while Ahmad Hicks added 12 points.

Game 5

Parkway South 58, Kirkwood 29

The young Pioneers ran into a deep, talented team at Parkway South,
and the Patriots wasted no time, mounting a quick 15-5 lead.
Officials Connie Coughlin and Bob Nichols assessed a Technical Foul on
Pioneers coach Graham McBride during the second quarter for "standing
on the sideline," and this obviously affected the Pioneers' comeback
hopes. Nonetheless, the Kirkwood freshmen fought the entire time,
closing a large lead during the 3rd quarter, but eventually succumbing
to a well-run offense and pressure defense by the Patriots.

Game 6

Kirkwood 35, Mehlville 33

The Pioneers returned to their winning ways on Friday, December 15,
surging to a 9-0 lead in the first quarter behind Ahmad Hicks' quick
baskets and Max Robinson's inside presence. The second quarter,
however, was all Mehlville, as they used a disciplined zone offense to
score 19 points in the frame. Down 2 at the half, the Pioneers
rallied to come back and tie the game in the fourth quarter,
converting six straight free throws (Ward, McMahon, and Robinson) to
ice the game in the last minute. Nate McMahon and Robinson led the
Kirkwood stat sheet with 9 points apiece, and each added 6 rebounds
and 2 blocks. Andrew Gift's three pointer at the two-minute mark of
the fourth was a key bucket for the Wood.

Game 7

Kirkwood 50, Ladue 38

Using an intense pressure defense, the Pioneers went up early and
never looked back on the Rams, taking advantage of mistakes and
running a crisp transition game. Up by two in the second period, the
Pioneers went on a 23-4 run with key defense by Brian Walser,
transition baskets by Andrew Gift, Joey Greenstein, and Nate McMahon,
rebounding from Scott Sonne (6 points) and Max Robinson, and a
balanced attack. At one point the Pioneers hit ten straight free
throws to go into the half leading 33-14. The second half was all
Kirkwood as well, as a minute into the fourth they led by 25. In all,
ten players scored for Kirkwood, led by Nate McMahon and Ahmad Hicks'
9 points each. Michael Felling added 4 assists.

Game 8

Webster 63, Kirkwood 60 (4 OT)

In one of the most thrilling games in recent freshman basketball memory, the
Statesmen outlasted the Pioneers in quadruple overtime. The Pioneers
held a 2 point advantage at halftime, and a see-saw game saw the score tied at
the end of regulation. In the first overtime, each team traded baskets,
with Hunter Ward and Ahmad Hicks providing the buckets for Kirkwood. The
second OT saw each team score huge three-point plays (Kirkwood's on an inside
basket by Nate McMahon) and another tied score at the buzzer. By the
third overtime, each team was in serious foul trouble, but found a way to
score seven points each to send it to a fourth. In the fourth overtime,
Webster was finally able to pull away, after a late injury to Nate McMahon.
Kirkwood's leading scorers were Hunter Ward (16 pts, 5 reb, 5 stl),
Ahmad Hicks (16 pts, 5 ast), and Nate McMahon (14 pts, 8 reb).

Game 9Pattonville 42, Kirkwood 32 In their first game in 2007, Kirkwood was frustrated by Pattonville's patient offense and a cold shooting night. Pattonville took a seven point lead into halftime, using back door cuts and key guard play as their main weapons. Kirkwood pulled to within three during the third quarter, but was unable to sustain their run. Max Robinson had a solid game inside, scoring 7 points and grabbing 7 rebounds, and Joey Greenstein added 8 points and five rebounds of his own, but Pattonville sent the Pioneers home with a ten point loss.

Game 10 Jan 5 Marquette 49, Kirkwood 39 Kirkwood started the game shaky and never quite recovered, falling to a strong Marquette team by ten points. The first quarter saw Marquette jump out to a 10-2 lead, and they never looked back, leading by 12 at half. The Pioneers managed a strong third quarter, featuring key baskets by Ahmad Hicks, Brian Walser, and Joey Greenstein, but Marquette's outside shooting proved deadly, as they hit three 3-pointers in the period. Ronald Dumas, Donnie Doll, and Desmond Rice led a fourth-quarter charge with strong drives for baskets, and Max Robinson's inside moves were displayed as he scored 7 of his 9 points in the final period. Ahmad Hicks paced the Pioneers with 11 pts, 5 assists, and 5 steals.

Game 11 Jan 9 Kirkwood 51, Lindbergh 43 The Pioneers returned to their winning ways at home against Lindbergh, using a strong overall game from Hunter Ward, and impressive inside performances from Max Robinson and Nate McMahon (8 pts 5 reb each) to subdue Lindbergh's disciplined attack. Though the Pioneers jumped out to an early 13-7 advantage, they had trouble stopping the Flyers' big man, Jimmy Boemer, who scored their first 9 points. When he left with foul trouble--for the second quarter, Kirkwood was able to establish a quality inside presence and force several key turnovers. Hunter Ward scored six points in the third, and Peter Krusing contributed for two assists in the period as the Pioneers pulled away. Scott Sonne pulled down four important rebounds to start Kirkwood fast breaks, and Brian Walser's four steals helped keep any Lindbergh comeback attempts at bay. Hunter Ward finished with 18 points and 6 rebounds.

Game 12 Jan 12

Oakville 46, Kirkwood 39

Kirkwood faced an impressive foe in Oakville, who came into the game at 9-1 and featured two players who were 6'3'' or taller. The first half was a back and forth affair, but baskets by Hunter Ward and Nate McMahon kept the Pioneers close. Ronald Dumas' 3-pointer in the
second quarter gave the Pioneers a brief lead, only to see it eclipsed by the larger Tiger big men. The Pioneers won the third quarter 10-5, to begin the fourth only down one, led by strong defense from the entire team, strong rebounding by Scott Sonne, and a big three by
Andrew Gift, but eventually the Oakville front line proved too big, wearing the Kirkwood defense down for a 17-point fourth quarter. Ahmad Hicks led the team with 12 points (6-6 FT), Scott Sonne grabbed 5 rebounds, and Hunter Ward added 9 points.

Game 13 Jan 15

CBC 50, Kirkwood 41

In the first round of the Vianney Invitational, the Pioneers fell to a talented Cadets team that has not lost a game this season. Kirkwood kept it very close during the first half, playing an open court game. Desmond Rice and Ahmad Hicks had big buckets in the first half, and Brain Walser nabbed 5 steals in the frame. Down 20-15 at the half, the Pioneers confused CBC with different zones, forced turnovers and created baskets to take a 23-22 lead midway through the third. Key baskets by Nate McMahon and Walser kept it close, but a series of 3-pointers and inside baskets pulled CBC away at the beginning of the fourth quarter. Ahmad Hicks finished with 11 points and 4 assists, while Nate McMahon had 9 points, 7 rebounds.

Game 14 Jan 16

Kirkwood 49, Holt 43

In the second round of the Vianney Invitational, Kirkwood used two quarter-long runs to defeat Holt. Down 11-6 to begin the second quarter, the Pioneers used their pressure defense to hurry Holt's offense, and it worked: Brian Walser had four steals, Hunter Ward had 12 points, Scott Sonne 6, and K'wood outscored Holt 21-6 in the period, scoring the most points in a quarter all year. During the third quarter, Holt used a 7-0 opening run to get right back in it,
and took a 3 point lead going into the fourth. The final quarter saw Kirkwood once again make a surge, outscoring their opponent 15-6, with big baskets by Desmond Rice, Peter Krusing, and Nate McMahon. Hunter Ward scored 17 points with 6 rebounds, Nate McMahon scored 11 points (9-12 FT), and the Pioneers made 5 of 6 from the FT line in the last minute to seal the win.

Game 15

Jan 18

Kirkwood 44, Parkway Central 30

The Pioneers overcame a four-point (17-13) halftime deficit to come back and defeat the Colts on their own home court. Using a key 12-2 run in the third quarter, Kirkwood reversed the Central lead and then poured it on in the fourth, scoring 19 points in the fourth quarter alone. Inside presence was crucial for the Pioneers, as Max Robinson, Joey Greenstein and Ahmad Hicks kept the pressure on down low, while Hunter Ward came alive to hit 4 big jumpers in the second half as K'wood pulled away. During the key run, Brian Walser had three steals that led to big Kirkwood baskets, and two offensive rebound/putbacks that kept the pressure on. Mike Felling came off the bench for a key basket, 3 steals, and 2 assists. During the fourth quarter, Mike Killeen had a key rebound and assist and Donnie Doll picked up a fast break bucket. Hicks had 10 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, while Hunter Ward led all scorers with 14 points.

Game 16

Jan 19

Kirkwood 46, Northwest 32

Once again the Pioneers used a strong third quarter run to pave the way to their third straight victory. Pressure defense and strong rebounding led to easy baskets by Andrew Gift, Ahmad Hicks, and Scott Sonne in the first half, but Pioneer foul trouble led to 11 points at the line for the Lions. Kirkwood was able to pull away by easing up on the fouls and hunkering down and playing solid defense. The Wood outscored the Lions 16-6 in the third, pulling away and never looking back. Hicks led all scorers with 14 points and added 8 steals and 3 assists. Scott Sonne had 6 points, Hunter Ward 7 points, 6 rebounds, and Peter Krusing aided the cause with 5 rebounds and 5 assists of his own.

Game 17

Jan 20

DeSmet 33, Kirkwood 25

Kirkwood was stymied by DeSmet's defense, only scoring 2 points in the second and third quarters each, and succumbed to turnover after turnover. Credit due to DeSmet's game plan, which focused on keeping the ball from getting down low and boxing out after jump shots. The Pioneers turned the ball over 25 times, which matched the amount of points scored in the game. Max Robinson led all scorers with 7 points, and added 7 rebounds.

Game 18

Jan 22

Kirkwood 54, Parkway West 42

The Pioneers started off their last week on a good note, using a hot-shooting second quarter run to pull away from the visiting Parkway West freshmen. Tied 12-12 to begin the second quarter, the Pioneers used second shots from Scott Sonne and hot shooting from Brian Walser and Andrew Gift to begin to pull away. Ronald Dumas sent the Pioneers into halftime with a bang, converting a 3/4 court heave for a three at the buzzer for a nine point halftime advantage. The second half saw more penetration by Dumas and slick court vision from Peter Krusing to maintain the lead. During the fourth, Nate McMahon converted five free throws and Michael Felling handled the late-game pressure with poise, leading to the 12 point victory. Joey Greenstein had a strong game, with 7 points and 7 rebounds, Ronald Dumas finished with 11 points and 4 steals, and Andrew "Goggles" Gift hit three 3-pointers.

Game 19

Jan 24

Kirkwood 47, Fox 33

The 'Wood pummeled the Fox from the start, going up 12-2 in the first, led by Nate McMahon's strong inside presence and mid-range jumpers from Michael Felling. Though the Warriors staged a short comeback in the second quarter, the Pioneers kept a 12 point advantage at the half. The third quarter was fun to watch, as the Pioneers sliced up the Fox zone defense for buckets from all angles. Ronald Dumas and Peter Krusing provided key penetration and dishes, and Andrew Gift knocked down jumpers from everywhere. With McMahon continuing to rebound and provide inside baskets, Kirkwood jumped out to a 25 point lead. In the fourth, Michael Killeen and Ely Thayer got into the action, providing solid minutes and points. McMahon finished with 16 points and 8 rebounds, Joey Greenstein added 7 rebounds of his own, Felling, Gift, and Dumas added 6 points apiece, and every Pioneer had a point, a rebound, or steal.

Game 20

Jan 26

Kirkwood 47, McCluer 33

The Pioneers ended their season on a high note, using a balanced attack to carve up McCluer's pressure defense. The first half was a back and forth battle, as Peter Krusing and Michael Felling used their ball handling abilities to get layups and dish to big men Scott Sonne and Nate McMahon for easy baskets. McCluer's shooters were on, though, and their three-point shooting kept them in the game. Clinging to a 3-point lead at the half, Kirkwood switched to a man defense for the third quarter, and played some of the best defense of their season. Ronald Dumas and Brian Walser had 3 steals each in the third, and great rotation and rebounding by Scott Sonne and Joey Greenstein held McCluer to one shot for each possession. This intense defense led to a rare feat--Kirkwood shut McCluer out for the quarter--turning their advantage into a 14-point lead thanks to baskets by Krusing, Andrew Gift, and Joey Greenstein. The fourth saw the Pioneer lead grow to as much as 21 before McCluer began to pressure again, cutting the final score to 47-33. Sonne had a strong game inside, scoring 10 points and grabbing 10 rebounds, while Krusing led the team with 11 points and 4 assists. Though Walser did not score, he added 4 rebounds, 4 steals, and 6 assists to help the Pioneers cruise to victory.