Morgan Wheatly

By Sandy Anderberg

The Lady Broncos traveled to Booker before the Christmas break and brought home a huge 55-25 win. The Lady Kiowas were unable to stop the Lady Broncos as they set a strong defense.

With opening quarters of 13 points each, the Lady Broncos surged ahead by 10 at the break. They were able to maintain that lead and control the momentum in the game. They also sealed the win early in the fourth quarter.

Brianna Butler was on fire finishing with 21 points and Jensen Hatley had the hot hand from the three-point line as she nailed four three-pointers for a total of 12 points. Shaelyn Owiti hit two threes and added eight, while Berkeley Alexander added six from inside. Hannah Hommel had four, and Briley Chadwick finished the game with two.

Over the weekend, the Lady Broncos participated in the Lockney Tournament and went up against Happy in the first round. They fought to the end, but fell short by at 32-34.

They trailed the Cowgirls by five after one quarter, but only trailed by three at the break. A poor-shooting third quarter stifled the Lady Broncos somewhat and Happy was able to build a bigger lead going into the final quarter. The Lady Broncos staged a comeback, but the clock was not on their side and they lost by two.

“We had a slow start against Happy,” coach Korey Conkin said. “We have to learn to start every game with energy and intensity.”

Shaelyn Owiti led the ladies on the scoreboard with15, and Brianna Butler added nine. Berkeley Alexander put in seven, and Hannah Howard finished with two.

They took on Tahoka in the next round and suffered another close loss at 49-52. They began the game trailing their opponent, but they fought hard and worked their way back in the game in the following minutes. Tahoka led the entirety, but the Lady Broncos could not contain Tahoka’s best player.

“This was another close game against Tahoka,” Conkin said. “They had one very good shooter and we struggled to stop her. We had our chances but came up short.”

Alexander was strong inside and finished with 15 and Butler helped with 11. Chadwick had six, Hatley had five, Emily Johnson and Hommel put in three each, and Howard and Owiti added two each.

The Lady Broncos took on Ralls in the final round and easily defeated them, 77-22. It was never a contest as Ralls had trouble stopping them.

The Lady Broncos were able to shoot a little over 50 percent from the free throw line, and Owiti connected on five from the three-point line. She finished with 27 points to lead the Lady Broncos.

Butler had 16 and Alexander put in nine. Hatley, Kira Weatherton, Brandalyn Ellis, Hommel, and Chadwick each put in four points and Howard and Johnson had two each.

“This was a much better outing for the girls,” Conkin said. “We played great defense and had a total team effort where each girl scored.”

The Lady Broncos will participate in the Gruver Tournament over the holidays on December 28-30.

By Sandy Anderberg

Clarendon’s Clay Koetting was named as the Defensive MVP for his linebacker position, and Riley Shadle was named the Fighting Heart Award winner when Athletic Director Gary Jack has released the All-District selections for District II.

The District Most Valuable Player went to David Dickson from Memphis. The offensive MVP went to Jose Tellez from Memphis.

Other honorees were Keandre Cortez and Clint Franks, who were named to the first team at the running back position, and Preston Elam was named as a wide receiver. Jacob Jeffers made the team as a tight end and Seth Greer and Nick Shadle were named to the offensive line. Taylon Knorpp and Justin Christopher were named to the team as defensive linemen, and Nick Shadle was also named as a linebacker. Keandre Cortez and Bryce Grahn were named for their position in the defensive secondary. Clay Koetting was named as the kicker and Bear Smith was named as a utility player.

The District coaches also named a Second Team All-District. Damarjae Cortez was named as quarterback, and Andy Davis was named to the team at his wide receiver position. Taylon Knorpp was named to the offensive line, and Marshal Johnson was named to the defensive tackle position. Daquawne Oliver and Andy Davis were named to the linebacker position, and Damarjae Cortez and Preston Elam were named to the defensive secondary spot.

Clarendon Offensive Honorable mentions were Marshal Johnson, Justin Christopher, Daquawne Oliver, Jack Moore, Isaac Dunham, Bryce Grahn, and Clay Koetting. Defensive Honorable Mentions: Seth Greer, Jacob Jeffers, and Clint Franks.

By Sandy Anderberg

The Broncos finished playing in Miami December 3 and brought home a huge tournament win by getting passed Gruver and West Texas High. The Broncos defeated Gruver 72-45 and skimmed by WT at 67-65.

The Greyhounds were really no competition for the Broncos as they took control on the offensive end, and proved to be too quick for Gruver to stop. Defensively, the Broncos stopped everything the Greyhounds tried and dominated on both ends. Four Broncos finished in double figures and they connected on seven three-pointers in the game. Bryce Grahn put in 15 and Bear Smith had 14. Colt Wood and Chance Lockhart each had 11. Keandre Cortez had seven, Marshal Johnson had six, Jared Jeffers put in five and Damarjae Cortez had three. Grahn had eight assists, and four steals and Lockhart had three assists while Johnson had nine rebounds, and Jeffers and Smith each grabbed six. Smith also had five steals.

The WT game was a more difficult win for the Broncos, but they were able to get by them. The Broncos led throughout, but WT would not quit and finished with three players in double figures.

“Overall, we played well in the tournament,” head coach Brandt Lockhart said. “We were able to win the tournament against a very good West Texas team.”

Lockhart hit four three-pointers and finished with 21 points, while Johnson was strong inside with 19 points. Grahn added 12 to join them in double figures. Wood pumped in seven, D. Cortez had five, Smith two, and K. Cortez 1. Grahn had three assists and three steals and D. Cortez had four assists and two steals. Smith and Johnson each had five rebounds, and Lockhart had two steals.

On Tuesday, the Broncos hosted Vega and they were able to get another big win at 42-17. It was never a contest for the Broncos as they were able to gain a twelve-point lead at the break. The Longhorns could only manage one point in the second quarter against a tough Bronco defense. Grahn finished with 10 points and six steals, and Johnson had nine points, two assists and eight rebounds. Smith also had nine points with four steals and Lockhart put in six points and two assists. Wood had five points and K. Cortez had three. D. Cortez also had seven rebounds. “We did not shoot the ball well, but were able to play very good defense and get them out of their offense,” Lockhart said. “We still need to keep improving in all areas.”

The Broncos will play in the Lockney Tournament December 15-17 and participate in the Bridgeport Tournament December 29-30.

By Sandy Anderberg

The Lady Broncos took on Caprock in the Miami Tournament and easily defeated them 56-28. It was never a contest for the ladies as they were able to dictate the tempo of the game.

Clarendon took a huge lead early in the game and led by 17 points at the break. The Lady Longhorns were unable to get anything going against the Lady Broncos, who were playing solid defense. Brianna Butler finished with 18 points, Shaelyn Owiti had 14, and Berkeley Alexander added 12. Hannah Hommel and Briley Chadwick each had four, Jensen Hatley had three, and Emily Johnson put in two. Owiti hit two three-pointers and the team shot 90 percent from the free throw line.

They then went up against Sanford-Fritch and used their steady offense to get a 42-27 win. Once again, they were tough on both ends of the court and used solid defense to stop their opponent. Butler and Alexander each put in 12, Owiti had eight, Hommel put in four, and Hannah Howard and Chadwick put in three. They were 13/18 from the bonus line.

They then took on McLean and struggled to get anything going. The Lady Tigers defeated the Lady Broncos 54-32. McLean jumped out to the early lead and shut down Clarendon’s offensive attack. A huge scoring second quarter gave McLean the advantage and the Lady Broncos could never recover. Hatley led the ladies on the scoreboard with 10, including two three-pointers and four for four from the bonus line. Owiti put in nine, and Alexander had seven. Hoard put in three, Butler had two, and Hommel added one.

Coach Korey Conkin felt the ladies learned a great deal despite the loss in the championship game.

“Making it to the champions game in the Miami tournament was a goal for us,” Conkin said. “Even though we fell short to McLean, we learned a lot and improved our game throughout the tourney.”

On Tuesday, the Lady Broncos succumbed to Vega 29-34. The game was back and forth with the Lady Longhorns holding the advantage by one at the break. A poor-shooting third quarter hurt the Lady Broncos and Vega earned the win. Butler had 11 and Alexander put in six. Owiti put in four, Hatley and Howard each put in three, and Chadwick had two.

“As far as this game turned out, we had absolutely zero energy in that game,” Conkin said. “We felt like we let that one get away from us. We should’ve come out of that one with a win. It was a disappointing outing for sure.”

The Lady Broncos will play in the Lockney Tournament December 15-17 and participate in the Gruver Tournament December 28-30.