NORTHFIELD — The end goal is in sight for the Pioneer boys basketball team. 

After an unbeaten regular season that produced a Hampshire League South title and a Western Mass. Class D championship, there’s only one more thing for the Panthers to accomplish: bring the MIAA Division 5 championship trophy back to Northfield. 

No. 1 Pioneer will be looking to do just that on Saturday, when it faces off against second-seeded Hopedale at the Tsongas Center in Lowell, with tip set for noon. 

“It’s crazy to think about playing in a state championship game but at the same time, all our goals were predicated to making it to this game and winning this game,” Panthers senior Brayden Thayer said. “We’re all excited. We’re going into it with an open mindset and we’re just excited to play and have some fun.”

How did Pioneer get here? It starts with experience. 

This Panther group is led by the senior trio of Thayer, Kurt Redeker and Alex McClelland, who have spent years playing with each other and developing chemistry. Throw in seniors Ben Werner and Will Glazier, and Pioneer has players who have been through the ups-and-downs of a high school career, have won Western Mass. titles and made deep runs in the state tournament years prior. 

Experience doesn’t just get you to a state championship game however. Thayer and Redeker are both 1,000 point scorers, McClelland is averaging nearly 14 points per game while sophomore Jackson Glazier gives the Panthers size, playmaking and outside shooting. 

When you combine the talent and experience, you get a Pioneer team that is 25-0 with an average margin of victory of 38.5 points during its state tournament run. 

It would be easy for a team with that record — which has won 21 games in a row by 10 points or more — to become complacent, but Panthers coach Scott Thayer has made sure that isn’t the case. 

“It’s managing expectations and not becoming engaged in all that,” the veteran coach said. “You can’t be intoxicated by success. The one word that really describes this team is selfless. Individually they’re all pretty good. Together, the sum of their parts, they’re even better. They’ve all sacrificed to make the team better whatever that sacrifice may be. All 10 of our players are role players. They all play their role to an MVP level.”

Just because Pioneer hasn’t played a close game in a while doesn’t mean they aren’t prepared for one. The Panthers have played in numerous close games in the past and that experience doesn’t just go away. 

“We haven’t had a tight game in a while but we have had tight games,” Scott Thayer said. “These guys have played in tight games before. I’m expecting a rock fight. I’m expecting a possession to possession game. You’re talking about the two best teams in the division as far as the rankings are concerned. If someone says we haven’t played anybody go look at Old Colony’s record. They were 20-5. Ware was 17-5. How much better records do you need? Did we make it look like they weren’t? Maybe but I don’t look at it that way. I look at it like we’re just playing well. Especially at home where our offense is at its peak. They’ve handled it all well.”

How rare is it to have an unbeaten champion? Just two boys teams have finished the season without a loss since the new statewide tournament format went into place in 2021. BC High accomplished the feat during the 2021-22 season in Div. 1 while Worcester North completed the unbeaten run in Div. 1 last year. Like Pioneer, Norwell headed into its Div. 3 state championship game on Friday with an unbeaten record. 

The Panthers will be trying to pull off the school’s first undefeated season since 1997, when it captured the Div. 3 state title over Bishop Stang with a second consecutive 25-0 season. 

“The pressure of going undefeated is a privilege,” Scott Thayer said. “We have to recognize that for what it is and understand there is still work to be done. We’re trying to stay grounded but stay in the moment and enjoy it. This kind of stuff doesn’t happen often. It's been years in the making for this group.

“The biggest thing will be handling the moment,” Thayer added. “It can overtake you with the butterflies and all that. It’s natural but you need to learn to manage it. I reminded them on the bus Tuesday that we’ve been in these games before. They’re starting to learn to handle them better. Experience gives you that.”

Don't expect Hopedale (22-3) to go down easily. The Blue Raiders have won nine of 10 going into Saturday’s contest. 

Hopedale got its tournament started with a 72-44 win over No. 31 Hampden Charter, cruised past No. 15 Monson 72-25 in the Round of 16, knocked off defending state champion New Mission, 54-50, in the quarterfinals before squeaking past No. 11 Westport, 57-56, on Tuesday in the semifinals. 

It was a layup from guard Patrick Madden with under five seconds left that sent the Blue Raiders to the finals. Madden will be the main player Pioneer will have to take away on Saturday, though Hopedale has plenty of talented options that the Panthers will need to account for. 

“They’re a good team,” Scott Thayer said. “They’ve played a good schedule and have a good record. The point guard Madden is a talented player. Lefty, strong, physical. They have a couple guards who can shoot it. Their bigs are physical and play hard and they have a good coach who has been there for a long time. You just have to go out there and give everything we have.” 

Believe it or not, this is not the first time Pioneer and Hopedale have met late in a state tournament. In 2000, the two squared off in the Div. 3 semifinals, with the Blue Raiders earning a 60-44 victory.