Sports

By Sandy Anderberg

The Clarendon Broncos did not miss a step over the holiday break as they turned four big wins into a tournament championship at Gruver. The Broncos got past the Amarillo Flames, Perryton, Panhandle, and Texline to win the event.

The Broncos took on the Amarillo Flames in the first round and breezed by them at 74-48. The Broncos dominated most of the game and after the break, came out on fire and outscored the Flames by 14 points to get the win.

Bryce Grahn posted a double-double with 14 points and 13 rebounds. He also added seven assists and five steals. Four other Broncos posted double figures as well. Chesson Sims led with 16, Marshal Johnson helped with 12 points and eight rebounds, Colt Wood added 11, and Junior Ceniceros had 10.

The Broncos defeated Perryton in the next round, 60-43. Once again the Broncos were on their game led by Ceniceros who posted 27 points that included four three-pointers. Chance Lockhart hit thee-three pointers, and Johnson grabbed seven rebounds. Ceniceros, Sims, and Bear Smith added six rebounds, as well.

The third round game turned into a tough game against Panhandle, but the Broncos were focused and on their game defeating them 80-60 after leading the entire 32 minutes.

Clarendon played a fairly clean game, but shot 31 out of 35 free throws hitting 89% as a team.

Ceniceros put in 21 points, Grahn and Lockhart helped with 16 each, and Wood added 13. Grahn also had four rebounds and five assists in the win and Sims had four rebounds while Lockhart had three steals on defense. It was a big win for the Broncos and they rode that momentum into the championship game with Texline where they won 58-43.

After playing the first quarter to a 15-15 tie, the Broncos opened an eight-point lead going into the break. They were able to come out and finish the game in the second half and claim the championship.

Lockhart was three for three from the three-point line and also went three for three from the bonus. He added six rebounds as well. Johnson worked hard inside and put in 14 points, while Ceniceros added 13 points, and Grahn grabbed seven rebounds and had five assists.

Coach Brandt Lockhart was pleased with the work the Broncos did in the four games.

“I felt like overall we played really well in the Gruver Tournament,” he said. “We still have areas where we need to get better. Keandre Cortez played excellent defense throughout the tournament.”

On Saturday, the Broncos hosted Fritch and won easily at 71-39. Despite playing four tough games at the end of the week, the Broncos put four quarters together and earned a big win. Fritch was unable to answer everything the Broncos did offensively.

Grahn had a big night putting in 18 points, and Ceniceros added 12. Wood and Johnson each helped with 11.

The Broncos will not have a game January 8 but will play Ascension Academy at home January 12 at 8:00 p.m. They will begin district play January 18 at Memphis.

 

By Sandy Anderberg

The Lady Broncos played hard Saturday against Fritch and grabbed a 38-24 win over the Lady Eagles.

The ladies stayed strong and determined, as they were able to execute offensively and leave Fritch guessing. Hannah Howard led the ladies on the scoreboard with 12 points, including two three-pointers.

Shaelyn Owiti added two three-pointers as well racking up eight. Brianna Butler helped with seven points, and Berkeley Alexander had four. She also shot 100 percent from the bonus line, going four for four. Briley Chadwick put in three, and Sandrea Smith and Jensen Hatley each had two.

Earlier in the week, the ladies participated in the Gruver Tournament and came home with one win over the Amarillo Flames. They played Sunray in the opening round and played hard finishing only seven points back at 58-65. The Lady Broncos shot 60 percent from the bonus line. Chadwick had a good game scoring 15 with two three-pointers, and Hatley hit three three-pointers for 11 points.

They played the Amarillo Flames in the second game and cruised to a 52-13 win. They held their opponent scoreless in the first quarter with good defense and only allowed single digits before the break. Once again the Lady Broncos shot well from the charity stripe going 13 for 18. Smith put in 12 and Butler and Chadwick each had eight. Owiti put in six, Alexander had five, and Howard had four. Emily Johnson had three; Hatley and Hannah Hommel each added two, as did Brandalyn Ellis.They went up against a tough Perryton team in the third round and lost 41-62. They struggled somewhat against them and could never get anything going. Chadwick put in 14 and Butler and Smith added eight each. They took on Highland Park in the final game and were defeated 21-47.

The Lady Broncos played the Lady Hornets tough in the first quarter only trailing by one point after the first eight minutes. Clarendon was still very much in the game at the break, but a slow-shooting second half left them struggling. Hatley and Chadwick each had five points to lead the team on the scoreboard.

“We were able to pick up two wins over the Christmas holiday,” coach Kalen Grahn said. “We played very well at Gruver against Sunray, but we came up short. Our game against Amarillo Flames was our first win. All the girls gained valuable playing time so that was a bonus for us. We also had a win over Fritch. The girls came out with a lot of energy. Hannah Howard had a very good game shooting to get us going. They played all four quarters and came out with a nice victory.”

The Lady Broncos will start district play Friday, January 8, at Quanah beginning at 6:30 and will play Wheeler at home January 12.

 

The Bronco varsity made easy work of the Valley Patriots at home before the break and easily defeated them 74-40.

Offensively, the Broncos were on their game as they had four players in double figures. Senior Junior Ceniceros hit four three-pointers, leading the team on the scoreboard with 24 points. Colt Wood and Bryce Grahn were on fire as well, finishing with 14 and 13 points respectively. The inside work of Marshal Johnson netted the Broncos with 11 points in the win.

They Broncos were not only on their game offensively; they were spot on defensively, as well. They stopped everything Valley tried and were able to keep them off the scoreboard.

Keandre Cortez and Chesson Sims added four each to the score and Damarjae Cortez put in three, while Bear Smith added one from the free throw line. As a team, the Broncos shot 67 percent from the bonus line.

They will take on Fritch at home Saturday, January 2, at 3:30 and then travel to White Deer on Tuesday, January 5.

 

By Sandy Anderberg

The Lady Broncos played a good first half in their 44-63 loss against Valley at home Tuesday night, but fell off in the second half as Valley exploded offensively to get the win.

The Lady Broncos only trailed by four points at the break, but the third quarter proved tough for Clarendon as the Lady Patriots hit shot after shot to add to their lead. They were able to outscore the Lady Broncos by 14 points and grab the momentum. The Lady Broncos were unable to make up the difference before time ran out.

Shaelyn Owiti had a good game outside and led the ladies with 12 points, while Berkeley Alexander stayed strong inside to put in 10 points. Brianna Butler had nine and Briley Chadwick helped with six. Hannah Hommel had four, Hannah Howard put in three, and Jensen Hatley finished with one.

The Lady Broncos will play Fritch at home on Saturday, January 2, beginning at 2:00 p.m. and travel to White Deer January 5.

 

By Sandy Anderberg

The Clarendon Broncos were narrowly defeated last Tuesday night on the road falling at the hands of the Longhorns at 60-67. The Broncos lagged behind throughout and missed crucial free throws in the loss.

“We did not play good defense and make free throws against a good Vega team,” coach Brandt Lockhart said. “We were able to cut the lead to five points with a minute left after being down 13 points in the third quarter.”

Three Broncos managed double figures in the game with colt Wood and Keandre Cortez leading the way with 12 each. Marshal Johnson added 11, and Bryce Grahn and Junior Ceniceros helped with eight apiece. Chesson Sims had five, and Bear Smith added four. Wood also had five assists and four steels, and K. Cortez had two steals. Johnson had six rebounds, and Grahn had four rebounds and five assists.

The Broncos took on Panhandle JV in the opening round of the Panhandle Tournament and breezed by them at 68-31. The Panthers led after the first quarter, but the Broncos came alive in the second quarter of play, overcoming the five-point deficit to take a nine-point lead into the break.

Defensively, the Broncos turned up the heat and Panhandle was unable to answer back. Johnson hit 17 points and had seven rebounds, and Ceniceros put in 13 points and had four assists. Smith also finished in double figures with 11 points and had seen rebounds and three steals. Wood had eight points, three steals and three assists, and Sims had six points on the board. Grahn helped with five points, three assists, and four steals; and K. Cortez had five points and three steals. Damarjae Cortez helped with three points.

After the Panhandle win, the Broncos went head to head with Spearman and earned a 53-34 win. Ceniceros put in 13 points with seven rebounds, and Johnson had 11 points and grabbed seven rebounds to lead the Broncos. There really was never any doubt as to the dominance by the Broncos, which left Spearman struggling. Grahn had seven points and five steals while Wood had seven points and five assists. Sims and D. Cortez had four points each, and Smith had three. D. Cortez had two points, four assists, and two steals.

The Amarillo Flames defeated the Broncos in the next round at 39-32. Neither team was able to find dominance in the game and the Broncos, as a team was unable to put points on the board.

Ceniceros finished with 17, and Johnson had 10. Wood had nine, Grahn two, and Sims one. Johnson recorded double-double with 13 rebounds, and Ceniceros had six rebounds and two assists. Grahn added two assists and five steals, and K. Cortez had two assists in the game.

The Broncos advanced to the championship game with Panhandle and despite fighting hard, were defeated 35-50. They struggled to get anything going offensively and could not contain the Panthers. Ceniceros and Grahn finished with 11 apiece, Johnson and Wood had six, and Smith had one. Johnson grabbed nine rebounds, and Ceniceros had six. Wood racked up four steals.

“I thought we improved defensively during the Panhandle Tournament,” Lockhart said. “We were able to advance to the championship game against Panhandle. I was very proud of our defensive play against Panhandle, but did not shoot well. Keandre Cortez had a great tournament defensively.

The Broncos will play in the Gruver Tournament December 28-29.

 

By Sandy Anderberg

The Lady Broncos played three fairly even quarters against Vega on the road last Tuesday night, but the third quarter worked against them in their 42-50 loss to the Lady Longhorns.

The Lady Broncos played Vega to a tie after the first eight minutes and took the lead by three going into the break. But the Lady Longhorns overtook Clarendon in the third quarter to get the lead. The Lady Broncos were able to fight back but came up short at the buzzer.

Briana Butler connected with 12 points, and Berkeley Alexander helped with 11 to lead the ladies on the scoreboard. Hannah Howard helped with seven, and Hannah Hommel added six. Shaelyn Owiti had three, Briley Chadwick had two, and Jensen Hatley put in one. The team made nine of fifteen free throws for 60 percent.

They also competed in the Panhandle Tournament over the weekend and went up against the host team in the first round. They were defeated, 36-60. The Lady Broncos could never get anything going against the Pantherettes’ tough defense.

“We opened up with a very good Panhandle team,” coach Kalen Grahn said. “We lost the game, but our girls did not quit. The coaches from Panhandle complimented the girls for not quitting and playing had. We actually outscored Panhandle in the third quarter, 14-12.”

Butler and Chadwick had 11 each and Howard put in four. Alexander and Owiti had three and King and Hommel each had two.

They took on Spearman in the second round and were defeated 26-48.

According to Grahn, the ladies could not get anything going.

“This game against Spearman was not good,” Grahn said. “As a group that might have been our worst outing of the year. Nothing went our way. I was able to play all our girls, so some young players picked up some valuable varsity time.”

Butler had six, Chadwick had five, and JV player Sandrea Smith put in five, also. Hatley and Owiti each had three and Alexander and JV player Brandalyn Ellis helped with three each.

The Lady Broncos went battled Highland Park in the final game of the tournament and lost 43-54. Grahn felt the ladies gave it their all against the Lady Hornets.

“The third game against Highland Park, was by far our best performance,” Grahn said. “The girls bounced back after a tough loss to Spearman and played very well. We were tied at halftime and down by four starting the fourth. Our inside game played well, with Berkeley Alexander leading us with 14 points. We had a few possessions that we did not execute and that was the difference. Overall, we saw some good things and we will keep working to get better.”

Alexander 14, Chadwick 6, Smith 6, Butler 5, Hatley 5, Howard 4, and Hommel 3.

The Lady Broncos will play in the Gruver Tournament December 28-29.

 

By Sandy Anderberg

The Broncos were on fire and left no doubt as to their athletic ability individually and as a team last week. They blew through three teams on their way to the championship, dominating every win by several points.

The Broncos took on Caprock JV in the first round and defeated them, 83-46.

The Broncos were on their game on both ends of the court and spread their scoring throughout the entire team. There was never any doubt as the Broncos outscored their opponents by almost 40 points. Marshal Johnson put in 19 points, and Junior Ceniceros added 18.

Bryce Grahn finished with nine points, and Colt Wood had eight. Chance Lockhart had seven, as did Keandre Cortez. Chesson Sims helped with six points, and Damarjae Cortez had three. Lockhart grabbed eight rebounds and five. Grahn had six assists and three steals and Wood had five assists and three steals.

The Broncos took on Claude in the second round and easily defeated them, 82 to 46. The team out rebounded their opponent and once again everyone scored. Ceniceros had 25 points, Wood had 15, and Sims put in 12 points to lead their team on the scoreboard. Sims grabbed 13 rebounds and Johnson had eight. Grahn had three assists and three steals in the game.

The win over the host team allowed the broncos to play in the championship where they faced Pala Duro. They defeated them 61 to 52 to take the trophy. Ceniceros put in 17 points, Wood had 15, and Johnson had 14. Johnson grabbed nine rebounds and Wood had eight. Ceniceros had five assists and three steals, and the Cortez brothers had three assists each.

“We shot the ball well the first two games and played good defense,” said coach Brandt Lockhart. “In the championship game we did not shoot the ball well until midway through the third quarter.

“We were down 16 points with five minutes left in the third and were able to come back and win. I was very proud of the way we kept fighting. Junior Ceniceros was named MVP of the tournament, and Bryce Grahn was named to the All-Tournament team.”

Earlier in the week the Broncos took on a tough River Road team and lost at the end by two points at 47 to 49.

The Broncos lead until the final quarter of play but could not put in the points they needed to get the win. Ceniceros had 11 points, and Johnson put in nine and had five rebounds. Wood had eight points and three steals, D. Cortez helped with seven points, and Sims had four. Lockhart had seven rebounds and four steals.

The Broncos will play in the Panhandle Tournament December 10-12.

 

By Sandy Anderberg

The Lady Broncos did all they could do in the game with River Road at home last week. They fought to the end but finished one point out of a win at 47-48.

The Ladies were on their game and played solid basketball. They game remained close in its entirety, with neither team giving in. However, the Lady Broncos struggled at the line somewhat and missed crucial lay ups, but progress is being made according to coach Kalen Grahn.

“We have talked about getting every girl to score,” Grahn said. “And we are playing hard. We are really close to putting it all together.”

Briana Butler and Briley Chadwick finished in double figures with 14 and 12 points to lead their team on the scoreboard. Hannah Howard and Shaelyn Owiti each finished with six, and Hannah Hommel and Berkeley Alexander each had four. Jensen Hatley added one.

The Lady Broncos participated in the Claude Tournament last weekend and took on four tough teams. They went 0-4 for the tournament, but Grahn is positive their season will turn around.

“The girls are playing very hard,” Grahn said. “We are in the games, but we have some trouble executing down the stretch. We are growing as a team and our attitudes are great. It will come together, we just have to keep working hard.”

Scores from the Claude Tournament were: Clarendon v. Bushland, 28-48; Clarendon v. River Road, 54-63; Clarendon v. Tulia, 37-43; and Clarendon v. Pampa, 42-48.

The Lady Broncos play in the Panhandle Tournament Dec.10-12.

 

By Sandy Anderberg

The Bronco basketball team made short work of the Perryton Rangers on the road last Tuesday night defeating them, 66-25. The Broncos’ outstanding defense caused several turnovers and their offensive teamwork spelled trouble for their opponent in the one-sided win.

Three players finished in double figures with senior Junior Ceniceros leading the way with 13 points. Freshman Bear Smith posted a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds, and Keandre Cortez added 11 points in the win.

The Broncos busted out of the gate with a big start in the opening quarter. As the second period rolled around, the Broncos not only established a rhythm, they controlled the game in a dominating way.

“We did a good job of sharing the ball,” coach Brandt Lockhart said. “Whenever you have five guys with nine points or better and 24 assists as a team, you are always going to have a good night. I was also pleased with our half-court defense.”

Marshal Johnson and Chance Lockhart added nine points each to the win, and Colt Wood helped with five. Bryce Grahn had four and Damarjae Cortez put in three. Johnson and Grahn also added six rebounds each and Wood had eight assists and Grahn six. Grahn stole the ball four times and Wood grabbed three steals.

The Broncos will take their 2-0 record to the Claude Tournament December 3-5 with times to be announced.

 

By Sandy Anderberg

The Lady Broncos’ third quarter against the Perryton Rangerettes proved disastrous as Perryton outscored them 16 points in a 53-71 loss.

The teams played the first half fairly even as the Lady Broncos only trailed by five at the break. But the ladies could not get anything going offensively in the third period and got behind on the scoreboard. Perryton took full advantage of the Lady Broncos’ struggles as they worked hard to find a rhythm. They were able to grab the momentum in the final quarter of play, and despite outscoring their opponent, were unable to make up the difference.

“It was by far our best performance of the year,” coach Kalen Grahn said. “We played eight girls, and all eight scored. We have been talking about that all season, getting everyone involved in the offense.”

Shaelyn Owiti took charge in the fourth quarter putting in 12 of her 17 points. She also hit two three-pointers and was two for two from the bonus line. Briana Butler had 10 points, and Hannah Howard and Briley Chadwick had eight points each. Jensen Hatley knocked down three free throws, and Sterling King had a three-pointer. Hannah Hommel and Berkeley Alexander added two points.

“We had a meltdown in the third quarter that cost us,” Grahn said. “The girls bounced back in the fourth and put up the biggest scoring quarter for the year. We had the opportunity to quit, but they did not. We are looking to build off this performance and keep moving forward.”

The Lady Broncos will participate in the Claude Tournament December 3-5.