By Steve Ramirez, SGVN
twitter.com/SteveRRamirez

SAN DIMAS – Pioneer High School might want to consider a move to the Valle Vista League.

The Titans certainly put up their best efforts against teams from the Valle Vista League and played a team from the Valley for the second year in a row.

This time, it was San Dimas, which held off visiting Pioneer, 74-63, in a CIF-Southern Section Division 3A first-round game.

The Saints, getting 22 points from Jordan Stokes and 16 from Greyson McGee, improved to 16-10 and will face either St. Francis or Lompoc in Friday’s second round.

Pioneer (10-18), which lost to Covina last season, was led by Courtney Ramon’s 30 points.

“I guess (I feel relief),” San Dimas coach Bruce Robbins said. “In the first half in particular, (Pioneer) didn’t seem to miss anything. We changed up a little in the second half. They still made some, but it was nothing like the first half.”

It seemed to just slow down the Titans, who after leading 36-34 at halftime and trailing by 10 points during the middle of the fourth quarter made one last rush.

Pioneer forced back-to-back turnovers to score three consecutive baskets, including a layup by Ramon and a 11-footer by Ray Flores with 2:51 left that cut the deficit to 60-56.

But San Dimas countered with an inside shot by Stokes and a 3-pointer by McGee for a 65-56 lead with 1:31 left.

The Saints then made 9of10 free throws in the final minute.