Angwin, CA – The Pioneers played the Penguins of Dominican University last Saturday evening, December 20. Although they were only down by seven at the half (20-27), the Pioneers fell further behind in the second half, and lost the game 44-62.

Kameron Barnes once again scored the game high of the evening, although he only scored 12 points. Barnes was 5-12 in field goals made, 1-3 in threes, and 1-3 at the line. Barnes also retrieved the most rebounds for the Pioneers, totaling 9 defensive rebounds. Andrew Webster scored 11 points for the game; he was 4-9 in field goals made, and 3-7 in threes. Josh Jewett scored 7 points; the 6’6” forward was 3-4 in field goals made, and 1-2 in threes.

As a team, the Pioneers were 17-45 in field goals made, 6-20 in threes, and 4-9 from the line. Additionally they finished with 26 defensive rebounds, 4 assists (half of which came from Steven Catalon), 5 blocks (Kameron Barnes and Tade Adeogun each had 2, and Josh Jewett had 1), and only 2 steals (Barnes and Catalon each had 1).

Comparatively, the Penguins were 24-59 in field goals made, 8-17 in threes, and 6-12 from the line. They also racked up 8 offensive rebounds, 30 defensive rebounds, 7 assists, 1 block, and 5 steals.

As a result, the Penguins’ season record now reads 6-5 overall, and 3-0 in the Cal Pac. The Pioneers are now 1-8, and 0-3 in the Conference. They next play William Jessup University on the road on January 8 at 7:30 p.m.

Vallejo, CA – Although, once again, they were tied at the half at 27, the Pioneers did not have what it took to finish out on top against CSU Maritime on Thursday, December 18, and lost the game 51-61.

Kameron Barnes once again claimed the game high with 18 points. Barnes was 7-14 in field goals made, 1-4 in threes, and 3-4 at from the line. Additionally, Barnes had the most rebounds of the team, totaling 7 defensive rebounds, and had 5 assists, again, the most of anyone on the team. Tade Adeogun scored 8 points; he was 4-8 in field goals made, had 2 assists, and 3 defensive rebounds. Andrew Webster came off the bench on fire, scoring 7 points; he was 2-3 in field goals made, and 1-1 in threes. Josh Jewett also came off the bench ready to score; he totaled 6 points and was 3-3 in field goals. Additionally, Jewett had 3 offensive rebounds, and 1 defensive. Eric Tua also scored 6 points; he went 2-4 in field goals, and 2-3 in threes. Brandon Monty sat out with an ankle injury suffered after their victory over Whittier College.

On the whole, the Pioneers were 21-53 in field goals made, 5-14 in threes , 4-8 at the line, totaled 8 offensive rebounds, 18 defensive rebounds, 15 assists, 1 block (courtesy of Kameron Barnes), and 7 steals.

Comparatively, the victorious Keelhaulers were 20-49 in field goals made, 10-27 in threes, 11-16 at the line, tallied 10 offensive rebounds, 23 defensive rebounds, 16 assists, 23 turnovers, 1 block, and 11 steals.

Overall, the Keelhaulers season record now states 6-5, and 1-1 in the Conference. The Pioneers overall season record now reads 1-7, and 0-2 in the conference play. They next play at home against Dominican University on Saturday, December 20.

Angwin, CA – The Pioneers lost to the Bruins of Bethany University by two points on Saturday, December 13. The Pioneers led for a majority of the game and were tied at 37 at the half. However, their lead slipped away in the last few minutes of the game to lose a disappointing game 73-75.

Kameron Barnes played an incredible game all around as well as scoring the game high of 23 points. Barnes was 7-18 in field goals made, 2-3 in threes, and 7-8 at the line. Barnes also had 2 blocks and 2 of the team’s 4 total steals. Aren Rennacker lit the hoop on fire, scoring a total 17 points. Rennacker was an astounding 6-7 in field goals made, and even better 5-6 in threes. Tade Adeogun also made a huge impression on the court, scoring a total of 16 points; he was 5-7 in field goals made, and 6-11 at the line. Adeogun additionally had 7 offensive and defensive rebounds (totaling 14), 1 assist, and 1 block.

On the whole, the Pioneers were 24-54 in field goals made, 7-14 in threes, and 18-29 at the line. They also tallied 13 offensive rebounds (Adeogun racking up over half of them), 32 defensive rebounds, 14 assists (5 of which came from Brandon Monty, returning to the game from a ankle injury).

Comparatively, the Bruins were 28-69 in field goals made, 7-27 in threes, and 12-23 at the line. George Golden II, stats leader, scored the game high of 26 points. Additionally, the Bruins had 14 offensive rebounds, 21 defensive, 9 assists, 13 turnovers, 2 blocks (both courtesy of Kenny Thompson), and a total of 11 steals.

Although it seemed that the Pioneers had this game in the bag, at one point leading by 10 points, the Bruins had what it took to finish it off and win the game. As a result, their season record now reads 4-6 overall, and 1-1 in the conference. The Pioneers are now 1-6 overall, and 0-1 in the conference. They next play on Thursday, December 18, at 7:30 p.m. at the home of CSU Maritime.

Chico, CA – The Pioneers played Chico State University, a NCAA Division II team, on Thursday, December 11, and lost 34-87. In this purely educational game, the entire roster had the opportunity to see the floor, except for injured starter Brandon Monty who sat out his second game in a row.

Kameron Barnes once again held the game high of 11 points. When Barnes did have the opportunity to score against the Wild Cats seemingly impenetrable defense, he did so. Barnes was 4-6 in field goals made, and 3-4 at the line. Impressively, freshman JP Tan was 1-1 in field goals made, and 1-1 in threes in the two minutes that he played!

On the whole, the Pioneers were 12-39 in field goals made, 2-6 in threes, and 8-14 at the line. Additionally, they had 7 offensive rebounds, 17 defensive (7 of which came from Rennacker), 5 assists (2 from Tade Adeogun, 2 from Rennacker, and 1 from Andrew Webster), 1 block (courtesy of Adeogun), and 4 steals (by Adeogun, Rennacker, Eric Tua, and Ryan Vos).

The Pioneers will host Bethany University on Saturday night in their first conference game of the season.

Angwin, CA -- The Pioneers were victorious for the second time this season on Friday, December 5. Unfortunately the win does not count toward their overall season record as the game was merely an exhibition. Such being the case, the entire bench had the opportunity to contribute to the game. The Pioneers led at the half 36-31 and finished the game 60-57.

Kameron Barnes again was the leading scorer for the Pioneers with 15 points, although Aren Rennacker was close behind him with 14. Barnes was 6-11 in field goals made, and Rennacker was 6-16, and 2-7 for threes. As a team, the Pioneers were 7-13 in free throws, had 12 offensive rebounds, 28 defensive rebounds, 18 turnovers, and 9 assists. Brandon Monty sat the game out with an ankle injury.

Jules Clark scored a game high of 20 points for ASU. His teammate, JJ Ward was right behind him with 18. Clark was 5-12 in field goals made and 3-7 in threes; Ward was 8-16 in field goals. Collectively, the team was 10-20 at the line, had 17 offensive rebounds, 23 defensive rebounds, 11 turnovers, and 7 assists.

The Pioneers next play on the road at Chico State University on December 11 at 7:00 p.m. Their next home game will follow on the 13^th against Bethany University at 7:30.

Whittier, CA – The Pioneers won their first game of the season against Whittier College on Sunday, November 23. At the half, the Pioneers trailed Whittier 28-37, but finished out strong to win the game 75-71.

Kameron Barnes was again the leading scorer for the Pioneers with a total of 21 points. Barnes was an incredible 5-5 in field goals made, and 11-12 at the line. He had 3 offensive and 7 defensive rebounds, 2 assists, 5 turnovers, and 1 block.

However, it was absolutely a team win. Together, the Pioneers were 24-53 in field goals made, 6-10 in threes, 21-33 at the line, 9 offensive and 28 defensive rebounds, 8 assists, 6 blocks, and 6 steals.

The Pioneers’ overall season record now reads 1-4. They next play at home against the American Sports University this Friday, December 5, in an exhibition game at 2 p.m.

Fullerton, CA – The Pioneers suffered a demoralizing defeat last Saturday night, November 22, at the hands of the Royals of Hope International University. At the half, the Pioneers were down a devastating 16-40. Although they were able to kick it up a notch in the second half, the Pioneers lost 44-64.

It was Kameron Barnes who scored a game-high of 15 points for the Pioneers. Barnes was 7-14 in field goals made, and 1-4 at the line. Additionally, he had 5 rebounds, 3 assists 1 turnover and 1 steal.

On the whole the Pioneers were 20-52 in field goals made, 2-11 for threes, 2-8 at the line, with 6 offensive rebounds, 17 defensive rebounds, 9 assists, a total of 14 turnovers 2 blocks (courtesy of Steven Catalon and Tade Adeogun).

The Royals are now 1-2 for their overall season. With their fourth consecutive loss, the Pioneers overall season record now reads 0-4.

 Vallejo, CA – The Pioneers defeated CSU Maritime on Wednesday, November 5, by a score of 4-1. A grand total of 3 goals were scored by Bucky Voigt and 1 was scored by Edrei Mauries. Isaac Anjejo had 1 assist, as did Kevin Nishino. Goalie Steven Brooks had 3 saves for the game. The match was abandoned in the 37^th minute after the two teams were involved in an altercation that led the Pioneers to refuse to take the field. The final outcome is yet to be determined by the commissioner after the officials report is submitted.

CSU Maritime ended their season 0-14 overall and 0-10 in the Cal Pac. The Pioneers finished off their season 4-9-1 overall and 3-9-1 in the Cal Pac.

Cascade College is now 5-0 on the young season. The Pioneers are now 0-3 in search of their first victory. The Pioneers next travel to southern California to play Hope International University on November 22, and Whittier College on the 23^rd.

Brandon Monty once again led the offense for the Pioneers scoring the game-high of 23 points. Monty was 9-21 in field goals made, 1-3 in 3-point shots, was 4-6 at the line, and had 4 assists. Sophomore Aren Rennacker scored 18 points; he was 6-12 in field goals, 4-8 for 3’s, and 2-2 in free throws.

Defensively, Rennacker had 2 of the team’s 6 steals, Kameron Barnes had 6 of the team’s 20 defensive rebounds, and Josh Jewett put up the team’s only block.

For Cascade, Ben Pawlak scored 27 points; he was 7-14 in field goals made, 6-9 in 3-point shots, and 7-7 on the line. Defensively, Ryan Barker had 8 of the team’s 26 defensive rebounds, Kao Saelee took 6 of the team’s 17 steals, and the team had 3 blocks.

Portland, OR – It was a close game Saturday night, November 15, up in Oregon as the Pioneers played hard against the Thunderbirds of Cascade College. The Pioneers trailed 39-43 at the half and lost the game 80-93.

Angwin, CA – On Sunday, November 9, the Pioneers hosted the pre-season number one ranked team in the NAIA (Div.II), the Hustling Owls of Oregon Institute of Technology. As fans witnessed Sunday, the Pioneers came out strong, and managed to reel the Owls back on the scoreboard on several occasions. However, the score was 37-58 at the half, and ended 93-77 in favor of OIT.

It was once again versatile forward Brandon Monty led the Pioneers’ offense scoring 29 points. Monty was 12-24 in field goals made, 1-3 in 3-point shots, 4-7 on the line, and had 2 of the team’s 5 assists.

Sophomore guard, Aren Rennacker also made his presence known Sunday afternoon. Rennacker scored 23 points; he was 8-19 in field goals, 5-10 in 3-point shots, and was 2-2 on the line.

The Pioneers were 29-65 in field goals made, 7-14 in 3-point shots, 12-18 in free throws, had 25 rebounds, 16 personal fouls, 5 assists, 17 turnovers, 1 block (courtesy of sophomore Josh Jewett), and 6 steals.

In comparison, the Owls were 38-66 in field goals, 4-19 in 3-point shots, 13-21 on the line, had 47 rebounds, 19 personal fouls, 11 assists, 22 turnovers, 3 blocks, and 6 steals.

The Owls’ offense was controlled by post player Christian Cavanaugh, who scored 26 points, guard Justin Parnell, who scored 25 points, and Joshua Wetzler, also in the post, who scored 15 points.

The Owls are now 3-0 overall, and the Pioneers 0-2. The Pioneers hit the road for the rest of November. They next travel to Portland, Oregon to play Portland Bible College on Thursday in an exhibition game, and Cascade College on Saturday night.

Angwin, CA – A raucous packed house came out to support their Pioneers, but left disappointed after PUC lost to the Raiders of Southern Oregon University in their season opener, 76-60. The two teams nearly traded point for point in the first half, with the Raiders taking a 28-34 into the half.  But after Tade Adeogun, the Pioneers senior post player, went down with an ankle injury in the latter part of the first half, the Pioneers lost a presence inside.  The Pioneers tied the score and took a slim lead early in the second half, but could not hold off the Raiders, who scored a handful of easy baskets in transition to pull away for the win.

The Pioneers played an intense game from the start, before faltering in the final ten minutes of the game. Junior guard Brandon Monty led the Pioneers throughout the game. He finished with 22 points, six rebounds, and two assists. Monty was 7of 12 from the field, and 7 of 9 from the free throw line. Kameron Barnes added a double-double of 16 points and 10 rebounds, to go along with two blocks.

The Raiders accelerated through the game, using their transition offense to get high percentage baskets. Eli Thornton led the way for the Raiders with 19 points, seven rebounds, six steals, and three assists. Humphrey Jackson added 13 points, two assists, and one steal.

The status of Adeogun unknown at this time, he is listed as day-to-day. The Pioneers post player will be re-evaluated tomorrow. Adeogun sat out last season due to health related issues.

This puts the Raiders overall record at 1-0 and the Pioneers at 0-1. The Pioneers next game is this Sunday, November 9, at 4 p.m. when they host Oregon Institute of Technology, the defending NAIA Division II national champions and pre-season number one team in the nation. The men’s game will be followed by the women’s game set to tip-off at 6pm.

The Pioneers men’s basketball team is back in action this season with 9 returning vets and 6 new players. The Pioneers ended the 2007-2008 season 1-24 overall, and 1-15 in the California Pacific Conference (defeating Bethany University 83-74 last February). However, this unimpressive record has only lit a fire beneath the amped players and their coach, Robert Castillo, as they head into a brand new season.

Three-year veteran forward Brandon Monty spoke of this fire in saying, “After such a disappointing season last year, our team is hungry to win, and ready to come out and play harder than ever.”

Sophomore guard Manny Gonzales is more than ready for a new season and prefers to leave last season in the past while trusting in the solid core of the new team. “Going into this season we are the only ones who can beat ourselves,” he said in reference to the mental game involved with the sport. Gonzales attributes their potential success to the diversity on the team not only of rookies versus veterans, but in the players themselves and their stacked capabilities in filling positions.

“I believe that this team is better than last years,” junior forward Kameron Barnes said in response to how he thought the team might be better or different than last season’s. “I also believe that the season will be different based on how much better some of the returning players have become, the new young players that we obtained, and the chemistry that the team has exuded thus far.”

Monty agreed with his teammate in saying, “As a returning player I would have to say that our team looks a lot stronger than last year. Even though we have not played a single game yet, I can say this with confidence as there are numerous factors that point to a more successful season.”

“Our goal this season is to play to our full potential. Time will tell whether or not that results in more wins, but I can say we are not suiting up and hitting the court even thinking about losing. This team is determined and working hard to improve on last year’s disappointing season. The team’s chemistry and attitude is much improved this year, and we hope that shows in our play on the floor”, added second year coach Robert Castillo.

Promising newcomer Steven Catalon, a sophomore first year player, from Loma Linda Academy, thinks that the team has potential this season to win some games. “I’m really just looking forward to getting out on the court and playing some games.” He said, “I can’t wait to get out there and hear the crowd. I love the pressure and the competition.”

That being said, Pioneers fans, make sure you come out and support the men’s basketball team in their non-conference season opener this Thursday, November 6, at 7:00pm when they will host Southern Oregon University.

With new focus, keen determination, and a hunger to win, we look for an exciting season for the men’s basketball team as they look to improve their program this year.