WEST SPRINGFIELD — Eventually over the course of a state tournament run, there will be a night where shots aren’t falling. 

Thankfully for the Pioneer boys basketball team, its defense is more than capable of carrying the load on any given night. 

Taking on fourth-seeded Drury in the MIAA Division 5 semifinals on Tuesday at West Springfield High School, the top-seeded Panthers pulled ahead 12-9 after one quarter. 

The Pioneer defense took over from there.

The club allowed just two points in the second quarter and only a single point in the third quarter to race ahead 40-12 after three. That lockdown defensive effort sewed up a spot in the Div. 5 state title game with a dominant 49-23 victory. 

The Panthers (25-0) will be seeking their first state championship since 1998 when they take on No. 2 Hopedale in the finals on Saturday at noon at the Tsongas Center in Lowell.

“It feels great,” Pioneer senior Kurt Redeker said. “This was the end goal for the season and this has been what we're working toward.”

Just how tough was the Panthers defense? Drury’s 23 points were 13 less than their previous season low.

In fact, Drury’s three lowest scoring outputs this season — 23 points, 36 points and 45 points — all came against Pioneer. In their 23 non-Pioneer games, the Blue Devils (18-7) averaged 60.9 points per game. Against the Panthers that number was just 34.7 PPG, as Pioneer went 3-0 against Drury in 2024-25.

“You give up 11 points [in each half], what can you say,” Pioneer coach Scott Thayer said. “We did what we had to do. This time of year, style points are overrated. It’s just about advancing and moving on. We’ve played Drury tooth and nail a bunch of times down to the wire.” 

It was a slow start for both teams on Tuesday, as each squad was feeling their way into the semifinal contest. 

After Sam Bullett gave Drury a 9-7 lead, Alex McClelland hit a midrange jumper, Brayden Thayer made one from the line and Redeker scored in the paint to give Pioneer its 12-9 lead after eight minutes. 

It was all Panthers from there. Thayer hit a 3-pointer to open the second quarter, McClelland followed with a basket of his own before Jackson Glazier swished a 3, forcing the Blue Devils to use a timeout down 20-9. 

Connor Hinkell put Drury on the board with 2:45 to go in the quarter for the Blue Devils’ lone points of the frame but Pioneer closed the quarter strong. Thayer hit a jumper, Redeker threw down a highlight-reel dunk over a Drury defender while being fouled before Thayer netted a 3-pointer in the final seconds of the half to give Pioneer a commanding 28-11 lead at intermission. 

It was more of the same in the third. Redeker, Thayer, McClelland and Judah Glenn opened the third quarter with baskets to help the Panthers take a 37-11 lead before Drury’s Colin Daly hit a free throw with 2:32 remaining in the third in what wound up as the Blue Devils’ only point of the quarter. 

Senior Will Glazier hit a 3-pointer to give Pioneer a 40-12 lead going into the fourth. 

Jackson Glazier hit an early 3 in the fourth and with 5:32 to go, Bullett hit a 3 for Drury to give the Blue Devils their first field goal of the second half but it was far too late, as the Panthers were able to milk the clock the remainder of the quarter to walk away with the 26-point victory. 

“Offensively we didn’t shoot the ball as well as we have been,” Scott Thayer said. “We’ve been home and we love playing at home. We gutted it out. Hopefully we got that game out of our system but when you give up [23] points, you should win the game. I’m proud of the guys. It’s not a glamour side of the ball but they’ve bought into it.

“It’s almost like a zone but we don’t play zone,” Thayer added. “It takes a long time to learn and these guys have been with me for a long time. When it works, it’s hard to play against.” 

Thayer led the way with 15 points, five rebounds and four assists, Redeker finished with 14 points and six assists, Jackson Glazier recorded nine points and seven rebounds while McClelland scored six points, dished four assists and snagged seven rebounds in the win for Pioneer. 

Jorge Bond led Drury with nine points. 

One win away from completing a perfect season, Scott Thayer said the Panthers have put in the work to be in this position. 

“December 1, someone tells you you’re going to be 25-0 and playing for a state title, I’d tell them they’re crazy,” Scott Thayer said. “I’ve been part of teams that have done that. We’ve gone 50-0 with back-to-back state championships in the past so I know what that entails. The work these guys have put in throughout the offseason after last year and throughout the season — our practices are intense — it shows on the court.”