By Sandy Anderberg
Friday night the Lady Broncos experienced a big high as they defeated Sundown in the Regional Semi-Final game at the Texas Dome in Levelland.
The ladies put together a great game and won 56-53, which put them in the Regional Final game against Plains on Saturday. The Plains Cowgirls proved to be a tough competitor and the Lady Broncos finished short of their goal at 41-49.
On Friday, the Lady Broncos flexed their muscles against Sundown jumping out to a four-point lead after the first eight minutes. The advantage the Lady Broncos gained in the first quarter proved to be the points they needed to get the win as Sundown matched the Lady Broncos nearly point for point in the final three quarters of play. The two Taylors, DeGrate and Gaines, finished in double figures with 18 and 17 points to lead the Lady Broncos.
DeGrate also added eleven defensive rebounds to record a double double. Camra Smith hit three three-pointers for nine, and Ryann Starnes added six. Deborah Howard, Brittney Braim, and Skyler White each helped with two.
The win put the Lady Broncos in the finals where they struggled with cold shooting against a good Plains team. Clarendon trailed Plains by eleven points at the break, but they were still very much in the game.
The Lady Broncos were able to come out in the third period and fight back to outscore the Cowgirls by five points in the third quarter of play. Foul trouble hit the Lady Broncos as Gaines and DeGrate went over the limit and time ran out on their comeback. But the Lady Broncos never quit until the final buzzer, which has been typical of their determination all season.
Starnes finished with twelve points and Gaines added ten. DeGrate and Smith had five, while Howard added four, Phara Berry put in three, and Haley Ferguson had two.
Coach Molly Weatherred was disappointed in the loss, but not how her girls played over the weekend.
“I was very proud of the Lady Broncos all weekend long at the Regional Tournament,” Weatherred said. “Friday night against Sundown, I thought we played really well and I thought the girls competed and hit big shots. Saturday was a little different. I thought the girls still really competed and played hard, but we got in foul trouble early and some girls had to sit for a while.
“We did not shoot the ball well, only shooting 23 percent. Overall, things just did not go our way. However, I am so very proud of these young ladies. They had an amazing season and they are such a wonderful group of girls. I thought they truly competed and fought till the very end, and as a coach that is all I could ever ask for.”
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