Lady Broncos win district title

Eight District games plus eight wins equals a District Championship for the Clarendon Lady Broncos.

The ladies sealed the deal Friday night in an unfriendly environment as they clobbered the Wellington Lady Rockets for the second time this season 42-34 in front of a packed house.

Count back 11 years and you will find the most recent District championship until now. Coach Molly Weatherred knew the Lady Broncos had to be patient and the wins would come with time and they did just that.

They are headed to post-season play with the same aggressiveness and determination that put them at 21-4.

In a game that was nip and tuck for most of the way, the Lady Broncos shined deep into the fourth quarter when they hit 12 of 15 shots from the free throw line. Anna Ceniceros shot 9 of 10 for 90 percent on the night, which added to her 11 points for the game. Point guard Deborah Howard turned a cold nightat the beginning of the game into a hot ending at the charity stripe hitting all five of her attempts after missing four in the early minutes of the game.

But it was the teamwork and determined defense that sparked the Lady Broncos. Feeding McKayla Cartwright in her post position proved productive for the ladies as she finished with 11 points from the inside.

“I was very proud of the girls Friday,” Weatherred said. “I thought they played extremely hard. Offensively, we struggled, but we were able to get stops on the defensive end. I thought the girls handled every situation that came at them.”

The Lady Broncos let their momentum slip late in the game and Wellington took advantage of that.

Scoring: Cartwright 11, Ceniceros 11, D. Howard 9, Jentry Shadle 5, Ryann Starnes 4, and Trevela Dronzek 2.

Last Tuesday, the ladies took on Wheeler at home and easily defeated them 55-26. After a close first quarter, the Lady Broncos changed gears and went on a scoring frenzy to put the game out of touch for the Lady Stangs. Cartwright and Marqueda Gaines finished with 12 each and Dronzek added 10 for double figures on the board.

Also scoring: Shadle 9, Lydia Howard 7, Ceniceros 2, Starnes 2, and D. Howard 1.

The ladies will receive a bye in the first round because of their District championship and continue their season in the second round of the playoffs with a time and team to be announced.