The Fort Calhoun basketball teams started Blizzard Blowout Holiday Tournament play with a pair of wins Tuesday.
Coach Marty Plum's girls team beat Sandy Creek 45-28 before coach TJ O'Connor's boys squad routed the Cougars 59-29 at Centura High School. The victories propelled both Pioneer lineups into the championship rounds of their two-day tournaments. Results will appear in next Tuesday's Washington County Pilot-Tribune.
The FCHS girls jumped out to a fast start against Sandy Creek, building an 18-6 advantage through the first 8 minutes. Bria Bench scored six of her 13 total points during the opening quarter, while Tess Skelton notched five of her team-high 21.
The Pioneers (3-6 overall) were outscored 8-7 during the second period, but bounced back with a 12-4 third to all but put away the victory on Centura's home floor.
The Class C1 No. 9 Fort Calhoun boys, meanwhile, had little trouble replicating the girls' success against Sandy Creek. They earned a 29-10 halftime lead, led 46-19 after three periods and won by 30 against the Class C-2 Cougars, who entered the game 5-2 this season.
The victory pushed O'Connor's Pioneers to 7-1 this season. Senior Carsen Schwarz scored a team-high 18 points, while Grayson Bouwman added 17. Zane Schwarz notched 13 points, too.
