The Clarendon Broncos took ownership of the San Antonio Alamodome while making history for the second year in a row, defeating Lipan 65-51 to win the state 2A basketball championship.
The 2021-2022 team knew early on they could come back and win it all again, and that is just what they did. The Broncos blew through LaRue LaPoynor in the Semi-Final round that forced a rematch of the 2020-2021 State Semi-Final game with #1 ranked Lipan.
Lipan came out hot in the first quarter and led 11-8 going into the second quarter. The undefeated Indians then turned up the heat and extended their lead.
After trailing by eight points at halftime, head coach Boston Hudson lit a fire under the Bronco players and to say they came out and took control is an understatement. With only 17 seconds into the third, the senior leadership kicked in.
Jordan Herndon made back-to-back threes to close the gap, and Lamarcus Penigar, who would claim the MVP title of the game, nailed the first of six from downtown at the five-minute mark. Penigar found his rhythm and added a field goal about every minute until the clock ticked down to only four seconds in the third period.
The Broncos held a 10-point cushion and the momentum going into the final eight minutes of the game but still had fuel in the tank.
“The first half we really weren’t making any shots and kind of playing their game,” Herndon said. “Coach told us we had to step up as seniors and show leadership, so we got the team rolling. I was just looking for him (Penigar); and if he was calling for the ball, I was going to give it to him.”
Penigar added 16 more points in the final period to close the game out at 41, which hasn’t happened in a 2A state tournament game since 1964.
“I was in foul trouble in the first half,” Penigar said. “They were down, so I had to come up with a nice little plan. I got hot, so when you get hot, you just keep shooting.”
The Broncos did get hot in the second half after, and according to Hudson, they were a little sluggish, and the ball wasn’t moving really well in the first half.
Fellow senior Cayden D’Costa played two solid games at the tournament and finished with 12 defensive rebounds and four on the offensive side. He also had four steals and three assists in the games.
“This is a lot sweeter than it was last year,” D’Costa said. “Especially because it’s the last time we get to play with these guys, and we have the best coach we could ask for.”
Junior Texas Tech football signee Jmaury Davis played strong and was consistent as always. Davis was able to get the crowd on their feet with a fast break windmill dunk that rocked the house.
“I was attempting to do it the whole time, but they kept getting back fast,” Davis said. “I finally got the opportunity to do it. I didn’t want it to be just a regular dunk and wanted to get the crowd into it.”
“Our fan-base traveled so well,” Hudson said. “We are so thankful for their support; they followed us all year.”
Joining Penigar with his 41 points was D’Costa with 10, Davis and Herndon with six each, and Lyric Smith with two.
Lipan Coach Brent Gaylor and his Indians were very complimentary of Clarendon’s ability.
“We talked at halftime about not letting them get a three-pointer or dunk because they are a momentum-oriented team,” Gaylor said. “Clarendon plays at such a higher level when they are feeling that good.”
Hudson knows that high level of play too well.
“They doubled Jmaury because he killed them last year in the state semi-final game, and they face-guarded Lamarcus in the first half (to keep the ball out of his hands).”
The State Semi-Final game began with the Broncos flying down the court to use a 7-0 run in the opening two minutes of the game to set the tempo of the game and earn a 69-60 win over LaRue LaPoynor on Friday.
The Broncos jumped out early in the game and looked to start a blowout against the Flyers with a 15-point lead with only three minutes left in the first quarter. A good shooting second period of play for the Broncos, put the Flyers on the ropes at halftime. But LaPoynor chipped away and narrowed the gap to single digits down the stretch. With only ticks left on the clock, the Flyers came within five points, but the Bronco offense got to work to extend the lead to nine. The Bronco defense worked hard to hold LaPoynor at bay to get the win. Sophomore Lyric Smith had a good day on the boards with 11 rebounds, and Herndon grabbed eight and had five assists. Anthony Ceniceros had seven rebounds and four assists, and D’Costa added six rebounds and three assists.
Davis had a great game and led the way with 24 points and 12 rebounds. D’Costa finished with 16, and Penigar had 15. Herndon had six, Tyler Harper and Ceniceros put in three each, and Smith added two points in the win.
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