By Sandy Anderberg
The Lady Broncos needed a good week at home and on the road to stay alive in the playoff race as their season comes to an end. They did just that by getting wins over Memphis and Wheeler. Their spot in the playoffs is secure with two games remaining.
The ladies took on Memphis at home Tuesday night and defeated them 45-35. The game was tight in the first quarter of play, but the Lady Broncos were able to have a solid shooting game in the second eight minutes to give them the momentum going into the break. Memphis was able to close the gap slightly after halftime, but the Lady Broncos stayed focused to get the win.
“The girls rallied in the fourth quarter against Memphis by taking care of the ball and making their free-throws to pull ahead of the Lady Cyclones,” coach Korey Conkin said. “We needed to have a solid game, four quarters of focused play. We have struggled on our home court, which is frustrating and hard to understand. We finally played well at the Broncos Gymnasium.
“Briana Butler led the way in the point guard position and was solid throughout all four quarters. Shaelyn stepped up and went four of four from the line in the fourth to help seal the deal.”
Butler hit three big three-pointers and finished with 19 points to lead the Lady Broncos on the scoreboard. Shaelyn Owiti hit one three and added 11 points. Berkeley Alexander hit six from inside, and Briley Chadwick helped with five. Hannah Howard added two, and Hannah Hommel helped with one.
Wheeler was a closer game for the ladies, but they pulled out a 37-32 win to stay in contention for the playoffs. After trailing by five in the first quarter, the Lady Broncos stepped up their offense to tie the game at 14 all at the break. Defense was key after the break as the ladies held the Lady Stangs to only one point in the third quarter. They stayed solid in the final eight minutes to get the win. Owiti hit three three-pointers and finished with 13 and Butler added 10. Jensen Hatley shot the three ball well hitting two big shots and helped with eight. Howard, Hommel, and Alexander added two points each.
“We struggled with their defensive pressure in the beginning,” Conkin said. “Shaelyn got hot from the three-point line in the second to five us a spark.” Conkin was pleased with their performance from the bonus line at the end of the game. “The girls shot well from the free throw line in the final minutes to grab the victory,” she said. “We concentrated on blocking out all week in practice and they handled the challenge well. We hope to continue to improve I this area as well as handling defensive pressure with confidence.”
The Lady Broncos will finish district play this week with games at Panhandle on Friday, February 3, and a game at home on Tuesday, February 7, against Claude.
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