Sports

By Sandy Anderberg

The Clarendon Lady Broncos fought hard against Sunray in Amarillo on Friday night and deservedly earned the Area Championship with a big win over the Lady Cats at 52-41.

They handled everything Sunray threw at them and were determined to go to the next level in the playoffs.

The ladies went on a scoring frenzy in the second quarter of play sending Sunray a statement of their determination. Holding a 13-point lead at the break gave the Lady Broncos a huge boost to continue on and stun the Lady Cats to get the win.

“I thought we played really hard and were able to get stops on defense,” coach Molly Weatherred said.  “Sunray had some really good shooters and went on a run early in the fourth (quarter). I never felt my girls panic.  They kept their composure and got it together.  I was very proud of our effort.”

McKayla Cartwright and Ryann Starnes were solid inside and played a clean game underneath scoring 18 and 9 points for the Lady Broncos.

Deborah Howard took control of the ball for Clarendon and her 10 points helped to put them over the top.

Jentry Shadle hit two crucial three pointers to add eight, and Anna Ceniceros and Trevela Dronzek added four and three to help with the win. Every part of their game was on, but they were slowed somewhat at the free throw line only shooting 42 percent.

The Lady Broncos will have played the regional quarterfinals against Gruver before press time. Visit ClarendonLive.com for playoff updates.

By Sandy Anderberg

The District Champion Lady Broncos will face Sunray in the first round of playoffs at 6:00 p.m. on Friday at Tascosa High School in Amarillo.

Things did not look good for the ladies in the first half of play against Borden County as they struggled offensively and trailed by 10 points at the break.  But they were able to regroup and execute down the stretch to get the win.  After tying the game at 32 after three, the ladies took control and earned the 44-39 win.

“We had a slow start,” coach Molly Weatherred said.  “At one point we were down by about 20 points.  But the girls held their composure and came back to win.  It was good to see them able to regain the momentum and learned to fight back.”

Ryann Starnes and McKayla Cartwright got in foul trouble early, but managed to get back in a rhythm offensively.  They led the ladies to the win with 13 and 11 points from their inside position.

Scoring:  Starnes 13, Cartwright 11, Trevela Dronzek 6, Audrey Shelton 5, Jentry Shadle 4, Camra Smith 3, and Marqueda Gaines 2.

By Sandy Anderberg

Not to be denied by the Memphis Cyclones on their home floor, the Clarendon Broncos defeated them and captured a District Championship Friday night.  The 54-48 win put the Broncos at 15-11 overall and 7-0 in district play.  The Broncos will spend their practices preparing for post-season play that will start in a week.

To add to the excitement of the game, the Broncos trailed by seven points deep into the final period of play after beginning the game with a slight advantage. The Cyclones were able to grab the momentum and tie the game at 35 after three quarters.  They rode that change into the fourth where they overtook the Broncos with just minutes to play.

But Clarendon would not be denied the win and stormed back to get the six-point win. Cole Ward took control offensively and put in 18 points after Adam Topper, who finished with 10, was swarmed inside.

“We were able to control the boards and keep them out of the paint,” coach Brandt Lockhart said.  “I was proud of the way we played at the end of the fourth quarter.  We were down seven points with three and a half minutes left and were able to win on their home court.”

Scoring:  Ward 18, Topper 10, Diego Santos 8, Wes Williams 4, Tyler Burch 4, Cody Wood 3, and Jonah Sell 3.

The Broncos will play a warm up game against Texline on Saturday, February 18, at 1:30 at Randall High School.

Eight District games plus eight wins equals a District Championship for the Clarendon Lady Broncos.

The ladies sealed the deal Friday night in an unfriendly environment as they clobbered the Wellington Lady Rockets for the second time this season 42-34 in front of a packed house.

Count back 11 years and you will find the most recent District championship until now. Coach Molly Weatherred knew the Lady Broncos had to be patient and the wins would come with time and they did just that.

They are headed to post-season play with the same aggressiveness and determination that put them at 21-4.

In a game that was nip and tuck for most of the way, the Lady Broncos shined deep into the fourth quarter when they hit 12 of 15 shots from the free throw line. Anna Ceniceros shot 9 of 10 for 90 percent on the night, which added to her 11 points for the game. Point guard Deborah Howard turned a cold nightat the beginning of the game into a hot ending at the charity stripe hitting all five of her attempts after missing four in the early minutes of the game.

But it was the teamwork and determined defense that sparked the Lady Broncos. Feeding McKayla Cartwright in her post position proved productive for the ladies as she finished with 11 points from the inside.

“I was very proud of the girls Friday,” Weatherred said. “I thought they played extremely hard. Offensively, we struggled, but we were able to get stops on the defensive end. I thought the girls handled every situation that came at them.”

The Lady Broncos let their momentum slip late in the game and Wellington took advantage of that.

Scoring: Cartwright 11, Ceniceros 11, D. Howard 9, Jentry Shadle 5, Ryann Starnes 4, and Trevela Dronzek 2.

Last Tuesday, the ladies took on Wheeler at home and easily defeated them 55-26. After a close first quarter, the Lady Broncos changed gears and went on a scoring frenzy to put the game out of touch for the Lady Stangs. Cartwright and Marqueda Gaines finished with 12 each and Dronzek added 10 for double figures on the board.

Also scoring: Shadle 9, Lydia Howard 7, Ceniceros 2, Starnes 2, and D. Howard 1.

The ladies will receive a bye in the first round because of their District championship and continue their season in the second round of the playoffs with a time and team to be announced.

The Lady Broncos are looking to the future while keeping their focus on the present as they weed out team after team in the District race. Their latest win came on the road Friday night against the Quanah Lady Indians. They defeated them 48-31.

The ladies got off to a good start in the first half and put up 30 points compared to only 15 for Quanah.  They began to struggle offensively, but stayed focus on the defensive side and held the Lady Indians to only five points.  The Lady Broncos rebounded in the final period to get the win.

Ryann Starnes and McKayla Cartwright were tough inside with double digits, and Trevela Dronzek put double figures on the board as well.  Coach MollyWeatherred was pleased with the win, but felt the team struggled somewhat.

“Offensively, we could not get anything going,” she said.  “We had a hard time getting shots to fall late in the game.  I thought we played hard and got defensive stops when we had to.”

Scoring:  Starnes 11, Cartwright 10, Dronzek 10, Jentry Shadle 7, Anna Ceniceros 7, and Deborah Howard 3.

At home on last Tuesday night, the ladies made short work of Memphis defeating them76-28.  They posted seven three-pointers in the win and made 15 out of 25 free throws.

The Lady Broncos promptly jumped on the Lady Cyclones defensively causing several early turnovers, which they converted to take a huge 27-point lead after two.  They never weakened in their attack on defense, which allowed them to execute the way they wanted to offensively.  Inside workhorse Cartwright put in 13 points and Shadle, D. Howard, and Starnes each pumped in 12 to secure the win.

“We really came out strong at the beginning,” Weatherred said.  “We got our hands on a lot of balls early, which lead to some layups.  I think that sparked our momentum and set the tone for the entire game.  We shot the ball great from the outside and really rebounded well.”

Also scoring:  Lydia Howard 7, Dronzek 6, Marqueda Gaines 6, Ceniceros 4, and Audrey Shelton 4.

The ladies finish their district schedule at Wellington on Friday, February 3.

Outstanding basketball was exhibited by the Lady Broncos in their 50-38 win over state-ranked Wellington at home Tuesday night.

Defeating the 10th ranked team was huge for the Lady Broncos and gave them the edge going into the second half of district play.

Clarendon finished the first half 4-0 (17-4) and will end regular season play in less than two weeks.  They will face off against Wellington again on February 3.

Wellington was stunned at the aggressive play by the Lady Broncos.

Defensively, Clarendon was spot on, which allowed them to execute offensively.

It was a close game throughout, and the Lady Broncos trailed by five at the break but came back to take a two-point lead after three.

The final period was the backbreaker for the Lady Rockets as the Lady Broncos poured on the pressure and took a commanding lead with just minutes left.

Wellington committed several last minute desperation fouls to try to stop the Lady Broncos, but they were unsuccessful in their attempts.

Clarendon made 13/18 free throws in the game and had three players finish in double figures.

Coach Molly Weatherred was very pleased with the team effort by the ladies.

“I really felt that the girls played extremely hard Tuesday night,” Weatherred said.

“They did a great job handling the press and keeping their composure throughout the entire game. We had a lot of girls step up and make big plays.

“I thought Trevela Dronzek did a great job attacking the basket and hitting shots early in the game, and Ryann Starnes hit four big shots in the fourth quarter when we were struggling to score. Jentry Shadle and Deborah Howard stepped up and made their free throws when we needed them.”

The ladies will play at Quanah Friday, January 27, and take on Wheeler at home Tuesday, January 31 beginning at 6:30 p.m.

By Sandy Anderberg

The Broncos took a big step in the district race with a big 55-45 win over Wheeler on the road Friday night.  The Broncos overcame a first half deficit to bring home the win.

Wheeler led from the beginning and the Broncos had to regroup and play catch up.  Their offense began to come around and they were able to take advantage of their aggressiveness to take the lead after three.  The Mustangs committed several fouls in the final period and put the Broncos on the line for 14 free shots.  Clarendon took advantage of the called fouls and shot 63 percent from the charity line.  The players who stepped up inside and accounted for 44 of the total points was Cole Ward (17), Adam Topper (16), and Tyler Burch (11).  Guard Cody Wood also ended the game in double figures with 10 and Wes Williams put in one point.

Earlier in the week, the Broncos took on Arbor Academy in a non-district game and defeated them 60-50.  Like the Wheeler game, it was a close contest throughout the first half of play, but the Broncos stated hitting their shots in the third quarter of play.  The spread in the third quarter proved to be enough and the Broncos were able to close out the game to get the win.  Just like the Wheeler game, the Broncos shot good free throws (88 percent against the Patriots, which aided them in their win.  Ward was able to control the boards inside and was good for 20 points.  Topper added 15 and Wood helped with 10.

“The third quarter was the difference,” coach Brandt Lockhart said.  “We finally started making shots.”

Scoring:  Ward 20, Topper 15, Wood 10, Trevor Cobb 7, Williams 6, and Burch 2.

The Broncos will be open January 20 and will take on Memphis at home January 24 and travel to Quanah January 27.