Sports

By Sandy Anderberg

The Clarendon Broncos played a great season on the court but were stopped short of a repeat trip to the Regional Tournament by Olton. The Broncos ended their season in the Regional Quarterfinal round falling to the Mustangs 62-63.

Things were going the Broncos’ way in the first half of play, but Olton was able to slow them down in the third quarter, which led to a 39-39 tie after three quarters of play. Missed shots and turnovers plagued the Broncos and the Mustangs were able to capitalize on mistakes. Olton was able to outscore the Broncos by four points to even the score. The final quarter of regulation was even down to the wire and the game went to overtime. The Broncos were defeated on a shot at the buzzer.

The Broncos were able to hit five three-pointers to only one from the Mustangs. Seniors Anthony Ceniceros and Lyric Smith put in two each from the arc and Jaxan McAnear added another. Both teams converted free throws at 75 percent. Smith nailed 11 of his 12 bonus points and Ceniceros hit three of four.

Smith and Ceniceros along with fellow seniors Levi Gates, Reagan Wade, Riley Wade, Jaxan McAnear, and newcomer Wes Shaw have been an important part of the Bronco team during their high school career and will be missed.

The Bronco basketball team posted two huge wins last week . They were able to claim the Bi-District and Area gold balls with wins over Fritch and Hale Center.

The Broncos defeated Fritch 75-61 utilizing a huge third quarter surge to overtake the Eagles by 10 points. The momentum swing was crucial to the Broncos’ win as they were able to make big shots and capitalize on their defensive strength. With the score tied at halftime at 35 all, the Broncos took the control they needed led by inside post player Mason Sims who finished with 25 points and Lyric Smith who pumped in 24. Both Sims and Smith shot 60 percent from the bonus line in the win.

Anthony Ceniceros also ended the game in double figures with 11 points. Leyante Prince put in six, Kaleb Bolin had four, Jaxan McAnear hit one from the arc, and Levi Gates added two.

The Broncos were more dominating in the game with the Owls of Hale Center as they were able to grab the lead and keep it from the beginning. The Owls stayed close in the first eight minutes, but could not stop the Broncos on the offensive end of the court. Fouls plagued Hale Center and the Broncos were able to convert their free throws. They did what they needed to do at the bonus line and turned in an impressive 91 percent as a team. The Broncos also knocked down five three-pointers and their solid defense hindered the Owls in their attempt to get back into the game.

Four Broncos finished in double figures on the scoreboard with Smith leading the way with 19 and Sims with 18. Prince and Bolin put in 12 points in the win and Ceniceros and McAnear had eight and two respectively.

The 15-3 Broncos were playing Olton in the Regional Quarterfinal game as the Enterprise went to press Tuesday night. Check Facebook.com/TheEnterprise and ClarendonLive.com for game results.

By Sandy Anderberg

The Lady Broncos took on #3 ranked Farwell in the Area round at West Plains HS last Friday night and fell short at 38-52 in a game that was closer than the score revealed.

The Lady Broncos finished a stellar season of 31-2 and were Co-Champions in the district race as well as Bi-District Champions.

After a fairly close first quarter, the Lady Steers went on a 15-0 run early in the second quarter. Several three-pointers from Farwell put them in a spot to take a sizeable lead into the break. But the Lady Broncos roared back with a 12-0 run of their own grabbing the momentum to pull within four points at half time at 26-30.

In a game of back-and-forth momentum swings, the Lady Broncos gained the lead with 25 seconds left in the third period. Farwell was able to recover control of the boards to go on a 5-0 run after they drained one from behind the arc and got made another two from a steal. They used their momentum to stop the Lady Broncos’ offensive attack holding them to only four points in the final period of play.

Farwell out rebounded Clarendon with 27 to 16 with most of those being on the offensive end of the court.

Fouls seemed to come at the wrong time for the Lady Broncos. Just as they were developing a big run, they were called for a foul. Sophomore Kate Shaw was making a big difference under the basket but fouled out in the final quarter.

Missed free throws also made a difference for the ladies who are normally at a higher percentage from the bonus line. Farwell hit five three-pointers in the game and the Lady Broncos only hit one. Farwell hit 91 percent of their free shots and the Lady Broncos recorded 79 percent of theirs.

Kenidee Hayes led the way on the scoreboard for the ladies with 11 points and Graci Smith added 10. Kashlyn Conkin put in five, Berkley Moore and Shaw had four and Tandie Cummins helped with two.

By Sandy Anderberg

The Clarendon Lady Broncos defeated Sunray 62-33 Monday night in Groom to claim the Bi-District Championship.

Stats for Monday’s game were not available at press time Tuesday. Clarendon will face Farwell Friday night at West Plains High School in Amarillo for the Area title at 6 p.m.

The Lady Broncos’ last game of the regular season did not turn out as they had planned last Tuesday, and they were defeated 34-52. However, they have played great basketball this season and the loss to Wellington was only their second of the season. They finished their regular schedule strong and tied with the Skyrockets at the top of race as District Co-Champions.

The ladies played hard and never gave up, but missed shots hindered them on the scoreboard. The Lady Broncos have depended on the three-ball for big wins this season, but the Rockets’ defense was able to limit that shot. The Lady Broncos struggled to find a rhythm on offense, but only trailed by three at the break. The game was closer than the score revealed. But the loss will not be on their minds as they begin post-season play.

Berkley Moore and Kashlyn Conkin led the way with nine points each that included one three-pointer for Moore and three for Conkin. Kenidee Hayes put in eight and Kate Shaw helped with four. Graci Smith had three, and Tandie Cummins added one free throw.

By Sandy Anderberg

With big wins over Wellington and Wheeler, the Broncos remain tied with the Skyrockets for first place in the district race. The Broncos are currently at 8-1 in the District 2 2A race and 13-3 overall and have secured their spot in post-season play with one game to go.

Clarendon was set to play Quanah as the Enterprise went to press Tuesday night. Check Facebook.com/TheEnterprise for future playoff game announcements.

In their 41-35 win over Wellington the Broncos had a slow start and struggled to find a rhythm on the offensive side. Missed shots plagued the Broncos initially while the Rockets were able to put points on the board. But a second-quarter surge allowed the Broncos to get back into the game before the break to only trail by four.

A huge offensive attack in the third period gave the Broncos the momentum and desire to finish strong. Senior Anthony Ceniceros was solid with 16 total points that included two from behind the arc and 66 percent from the bonus line.

After suffering foul trouble in the first quarter, fellow senior Lyric Smith got back on the floor in the second half and played strong putting in all but two of his 11 points in the final two quarters. Mason Sims was strong underneath the basket and hit five of six from the free throw line, and Jaxan McAnear helped with five points as well. Leyante Prince added four points in the win.

On Friday night, the Broncos took on Wheeler and breezed by them at 79-39. Clarendon was never contested as they took a 20-12 lead after one. They were able to score at will and the Mustangs struggled to stop them. The Broncos were able to knock down 11 three-pointers in the game.

Smith and Prince led the way with 27 and 21 respectively, and Ceniceros put in nine. Sims had eight, and Kaleb Bolin put in six. Levi Gates put in four, and Riley Wade hit a three-pointer.