Winter break didn’t slow down the Coyotes, as they claimed the court with a 69-53 win over Fleming at home.

“This was a huge game for us. If you expect to win the league title, you must win these home games, and Fleming is probably one of the toughest contenders for the title,” coach Tim Brunelle explained. “With only 3 practices to prepare after the break, I wasn’t sure how sharp we would be, but the guys definitely came to play, and I am proud of the way we concentrated on the defensive end.”

Pawnee had several strong leaders in the game, with Brye Brunelle chipping in 24 points to lead the pack. He also added nine rebounds and seven assists. Kevin Shoemaker also performed, putting up 16 points, seven rebounds and blocking four shots. Zeb Durst and Miika Jokinen both brought down 11 points in the bout.

“Fleming runs good half court sets and are patient about getting a good shot, and we were able to get stops throughout the game and then push the tempo on rebounds and turnovers,” said coach Brunelle. “We had good ball movement, took it hard to the hoop, and generally got the kind of shots we wanted throughout the game.”

Getting those shots has Pawnee undefeated (6-0) on the season, with three games  this week. Pawnee played in Weldon Valley Tuesday night, the results of that game will be reported in next week’s issue of the Pine Bluffs Post. The Coyotes welcome Prairie today, Thursday, Jan. 12, and Friday host the Hornets.