Sports

The Broncos are proving themselves as the top team in the area staying true to form Friday night at Wellington. The Broncos defeated the Rockets 69-51.

According to head coach Brandt Lockhart; the Rockets played the Broncos tough in the first quarter of play with the Broncos holding a slight five-point lead. Great execution offensively helped the Broncos to increase their lead before the break. Clarendon came on strong in the third quarter to put the game away.

“They played us tough the first quarter, but we came out in the third and played well,” Lockhart said. “We got up by 30 points in the third quarter. Our third bench played well for us.”

Johnny Gaines had a great scoring game with 25 points to lead the Broncos on the scoreboard. Brayden Phillips and Mike Crump hit double figures with 12 and 10 points. Also scoring: Cole Ward 9, Chris Crump 7, and Justin Shillings 6.

The Broncos will take on Quanah at home January 28 at 7:30 p.m. and travel to Wheeler February 1.

Broncos overpower Wheeler
The Clarendon Broncos remained in top form Friday night in their District opener against Wheeler to go 1-0.

Tough offense and hustle defense allowed the Broncos to defeat the Mustangs, 62-46.

The Broncos opened a huge lead on Wheeler in the first quarter of play with their offensive quickness and intense defense.

They held a 17-point advantage at the break.

They were able to hold off any attempt on Wheeler’s part to get back in the game and took the 16-point win. Senior Johnny Gaines pumped in 23 points to lead the team on the scoreboard, and fellow senior Brayden Phillips helped with 17. Phillips hit several crucial three-pointers to help the Broncos with the win.

“We did a good job tonight,” coach Brandt Lockhart said, “and we got a lot better start.

“We forced several Wheeler turnovers and played well throughout the game. Our bench played good.”

Also scoring: Mike Crump 8, Chris Crump 6, Justin Shillings 4, Daniel West 3, and Adam Topper 1.

The Broncos took on Arbor Academy at home earlier in the week and defeated them 67-59. The Broncos played hard against the Lions but could never open a huge lead. Three Broncos ended the game in double figures with Phillips connecting for 22 to lead the Broncos. Gaines and Shillings finished with 14 and 10 points.

“It was a good job to come back and win the game,” Lockhart said. “We really didn’t come out ready to play in the first half but came out ready to go in the second.”
Also scoring: C. Crump 9, M. Crump 8, and Topper 4.

The Broncos will be open January 21, but will travel to Memphis January 25 and play at 7:30 p.m.

The Bronco basketball team is currently 11-5 overall for the season and has maintained their number one ranking in the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches poll. Their latest win came at Groom where they defeated the Tigers, 78-45.

It was never a contest at all as the Broncos dominated throughout. They were able to execute their offense well, and Johnny Gaines and Brayden Phillips finished in double figures.

Defensively, the Broncos forced many turnovers and were able to convert Groom’s mistakes into points for Clarendon.

“We do a good job of putting pressure on their guards and forcing turnovers,” coach Brandt Lockhart said. “Everyone did a good job of passing the basketball.”

Scoring: Gaines 27, Phillips 13, Adam Topper 9, Mike Crump 8, Cole Ward 6, Justin Shillings 6, Diego Santos 5, and Chris Crump 4.

Earlier in the week, the Broncos annihilated Holy Cross on the road, 123-12.
The Broncos were never contested throughout the game and came on strong offensively. They held Holy Cross to only six halftime points.

Five players finished in double figures with Gaines as the leading scorer with 31.
Also scoring: Phillips 23, Ward 21, Wes Williams 11, Topper 11, Shillings 8, M. Crump 8, C. Crump 6, and Daniel West 2.

The Broncos will play Wheeler January 14 at home at 7:30 p.m. and travel to Wellington January 18. The Bronco JV will play both those days beginning at 5:00 p.m.

The Clarendon Broncos made a good showing at the Caprock Fibermax Tournament in Lubbock with two wins and two losses. Both losses, one to Idalou and one to Bronte, were against state-ranked teams.

The Broncos opened the tournament with a big win against Presido at 65-38. It was never really a contest as the Broncos held their opponent to single digits in the first half of play. All-around player Johnny Gaines led the Bronco scorers with 29.
Also scoring: Justin Shillings 9, Brayden Phillips 7, Cole Ward 6, Adam Topper 6, Mike Crump 4, Chris Crump 2, and Wes Williams 2.

The next game put the Broncos up against Idalou and they were defeated, 33-60. The Broncos could never find a rhythm in the game and trailed throughout.

Scoring: Gaines 8, Phillips 6, M. Crump 6, Shillings 4, Topper 4, C. Crump 3, and Williams 2.

The Broncos went out strong in the third game of the contest and easily defeated New Deal, 46-65. Clarendon totally dominated their opponent as they executed on both ends of the court. Three Broncos finished in double figures with Gaines leading the way with 19 and Phillips and M. Crump added 11 each of their own. As a team, the Broncos shot an impressive 82 percent from the free throw line.

Also scoring: Ward 8, Shillings 6, C. Crump 4, Topper 4, and Williams 2.

The Broncos then went to the Consolation round and faced Bronte. They were narrowly defeated at 44-47. The Broncos led at the end of the first half, but the inside play of Bronte helped with their win. Foul trouble plagued the Broncos, and they could never get into their game. Despite the outcome, coach Brandt Lockhart was pleased with the Broncos’ play.

“Overall, we played well,” Lockhart said. “We had two off games against Idalou and Bronte, but they are state-ranked teams.”

The Broncos will continue to work hard and prepare for their District opener January 14 against Wheeler.

Scoring: Gaines 17, Phillips 14, Shillings 4, Ward 4, C. Crump 3, and Williams 2.
The Broncos will take on Groom on the road January 7 at 7:30 p.m. and play Arbor Academy at home January 11 also at 7:30 p.m. The Bronco JV will play those dates as well beginning at 6:00 p.m.

The Broncos have been ranked as the number one team in the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches in Texas with a 5-1 record. They are in the midst of their basketball schedule and recently traveled to Booker easily defeating the Kiowas, 87-40.

The Broncos were just too much for Booker to handle as they executed with intensity offensively and were sharp on defense.

Clarendon held a 26-point lead at the break and never backed down in the second half of play to get the lopsided win. The Broncos shot 90 percent from the free-throw line and had four guys finish in double figures.

Scoring: Johnny Gaines 23, Cole Ward 15, Brayden Phillips 10, Mike Crump 10, Adam Topper 9, Chris Crump 8, Justin Shillings 8, and Wes Williams 4.

On Friday, the Broncos traveled to Childress and could not come up with a win. They were defeated, 50-56.

Childress jumped out to the early advantage and held off the Broncos until the third quarter when Clarendon got back into the game. But the Broncos could never get ahead of the Cats and were plagued by turnovers in the final quarter.

“We got down early in the first quarter and did a good job of coming back,” head coach Brandt Lockhart said. “However, we had too many turnovers and missed free throws in the fourth quarter.”

Scoring: Gaines 16, M. Crump 13, C. Crump 7, Ward 6, Phillips 6, and Shillings 2.

The Broncos will participate in the Caprock Tournament in Lubbock December 27-29 and will travel to Groom January 7 after the Christmas break.

Lady Broncos defeated

The Lady Broncos traveled to Booker last Monday night and suffered a heartbreaking two-point loss at 26-28.

The ladies fought hard and held a six-point lead at the break. They maintained their lead until the final quarter when Booker bested them by two.

Scoring: Jentry Shadle 8, Danielle Ford 6, Anna Ceniceros 5, McKayla Cartwright 4, and Marqueda Gaines 3.

On Friday, the Lady Broncos traveled to Childress and were defeated, 35-52.

The Lady Cats held the narrow early advantage in the game in the opening quarter, but were able to capitalize on mistakes to gain a 16-point lead at the break. The Lady Broncos came back within 10 points of their opponent at the end of three but could not overtake Childress to get the lead.

Emily Clark finished with seven points and Jency Burton added six.

The ladies will participate in the Canadian Tournament December 27-29 and play at Memphis January 7 at 7:30 p.m. to open their district schedule.

The Broncos played a tough Pampa team in the finals of the Nazareth Tournament last weekend and finished runner-up at 44-56. They played three tough games after only a week of practice and made a good showing on the court.

The Broncos took on Sunray in the tournament opener and defeated them, 69-44.

After a close first half, the Broncos opened up the scoring in the second half and completely dominated the Bobcats. Johnny Gaines led the team to the win with 22 points in the game.

Scoring: Gaines 22, Justin Shillings 9, Wes Williams 8, Brayden Phillips 7, Chris Crump 6, Mike Crump 6, Cole Ward 6, Bradley Watson 2, Adam Topper 2, and Clayton Shields 1.

The Broncos took on River Road in the second game and annihilated them, 79-43.

It was never a contest as the Broncos took control early in the game and found their rhythm on both ends of the court. Gaines finished with 25 to top the board. Chris Crump played great inside and put up 15 points, and Watson helped with 10.

Scoring: Gaines 25, C. Crump 15, Watson 10, Phillips 8, Shillings 6, M. Crump 5, Topper 5, Ward 3, and Williams 2.

The Broncos played hard in the championship game but just could not find their game against the Harvesters.

After a slow shooting first quarter, the Broncos cut into Pampa’s lead at the break. But the cold shooting plagued them once again in the third quarter.

They were able to rally somewhat in the final period, but the difference was too much to make up.

“We played pretty well for our first games of the season,” coach Brandt Lockhart said. “I feel like we lost our legs a little in the championship game, and we really didn’t shoot well. But they are getting used to the new system, and we will get it going.”

Scoring: Gaines 10, Phillips 7, Shillings 6, Ward 6, M. Crump 6, C. Crump 4, Topper 3, and Daniel West 2.

The Broncos will participate in the Greenbelt Tournament at home December 9-11 and then travel to Booker December 13.