The Pioneer High School basketball team sprang off its bench in unison and charged toward midcourt, only to be stopped in their tracks by three arm-waving officials.

A Huron basket with 0.2 seconds left in Friday night's game at the Riverdome stopped the clock. The Pioneers and their half of a near-capacity crowd of approximately 1,000 would have to wait a moment to celebrate a 51-48 win.

After an in-bounds pass, they jumped up with identical zeal and charged the court once again.

The Pioneers had just beaten their crosstown rival on its own court and earned a share of the Southeastern Conference Red Division lead in the process.

Perhaps just as importantly, they had erased the month-long sting of a 27-point loss to the River Rats in their first meeting.

"It always feels good to beat your rival, but I think more than anything else it feels good to me because this was the litmus test for us," Pioneer coach Rex Stanczak said.

"We wanted to find out if we have progressed in the last month the way we think we have and I thought we passed that test tonight."