Lady Broncos fight off Shamrock

By Sandy Anderberg

The Lady Broncos battled hard against a good Shamrock team at home last Tuesday night and earned a huge 64-56 win.

The game was tight throughout, but the Lady Broncos played with determination and stayed focused. Clarendon jumped on the Lady Irish early and held a five-point lead going into the break. Shamrock worked their way back after three periods, but the Lady Broncos stayed solid the last eight minutes to get the win.

Taylor Gaines had a huge game and finished with 24 points. Carlee Johnson also had a big game hitting 15 points, and Taylor DeGrate helped with 14. Allyson Grahn had nine points, and Sarah White put in two.

The ladies took on Wellington Friday night and despite playing a really good game fell short at 44-54.

The Lady Broncos came out ready to play and surprised Wellington, who has been in the top of the 2A rankings all year. After only connecting on two field goals in the third quarter Clarendon was able to keep them in the game when Johnson went five for eight from the free throw line. Gaines went four for six from the bonus line in the final quarter to stay close to Wellington.

“The girls played real well,” coach Kalen Grahn said. “They (Wellington) are ranked #2 in the state. They were able to grab the lead early and hold on for the win, but the girls played very hard and learned a lot about ourselves. They hurt us on the offensive rebounding and inside play. We need to handle the pressure better to close the gap between a win and a loss. Overall, we played a very solid game. We are looking forward to the next couple of games to set ourselves up for district.”

Gaines ripped 17 points and Johnson, and Grahn helped with 10. DeGrate put in seven.

The Lady Broncos will take on Wheeler at home Friday, January 30, as they begin the second half of district. They will travel to Memphis, Tuesday, February 3.