Broncos grab third at districts

Three wins in four games earned the LRS Broncos a third place finish in the district tournament and a No. 3 seed going into the District 7/9 Sub Regional Basketball Tournament on Saturday, Feb. 9, against Asotin.

The Broncos had a successful tournament, opening with a 45-40 win over Davenport on Wednesday, Jan. 30. Their only loss of the tournament came Friday, in the semi-final round against Colfax when they made a gallant come-from-behind effort to force overtime. They were outscored 7-2 in the overtime and fell 55-50.

Saturday, Feb. 2, they knocked off Liberty, 64-49, to set up a Monday battle with Northwest Christian. A little tired on their feet at times, the Broncos rode the momentum created by Colby Starring’s three-point barrage in the first quarter to secure a 60-54 win.

“For playing three games in four days, I thought it went pretty well,” said head coach Dustan Arlt. “It was tough for us at times against them (NWC). They are pretty physical and they like to push us around.”

Northwest Christian continued to be physical all the way through the fourth quarter when they landed in serious foul trouble while trying to climb back in the game.

Dylan Hartz went eight for eight at the free throw line in the fourth quarter.

The lid was put on the game with about 1:32 remaining. Cort Ruzicka went to the foul line and made the front end of a one-on-one. Northwest Christian was also called for a technical on the play when Ruzicka was fouled. As a result, Hartz stepped to the line and sank two more free throws. Hartz then put a massive three-point shot through the net to give the Broncos a 53-45 lead.

In the first quarter, the game was riding on Starring.

“Colby gave us a good start,” Arlt said. “Colby stepped up and hit three threes in the first quarter. He was five of seven on threes for the game, his best shooting game of the year.”

Starring led the team with 15 points while Hartz delivered 13. Ryan Whitmore scored 11 from underneath and Ruzicka kicked in 10. Tyler Frederick finished with six, Bridger Smith had three and Connor O’Neill and Jarradd Morley each had one point. Frederick and Ruzicka each finished with five rebounds.

Against Colfax on Friday, the Broncos hit a wall in the form of Brandon Gfeller, the Bulldog’s top flight player who scored 32 points.

“The best player in the state at our level played his best game ever against us,” Arlt said.

On the Broncos’ side of the court, O’Neill had a great game, scoring 18. Whitmore provided a 16-point boost and Hartz had 11. Ruzicka finished with four and Frederick and Starring had three.

Saturday at Liberty, O’Neill scored another 18 points. Hartz drove the lanes to score 19 and lead the team. Whitmore had seven points while Ruzicka and Frederick each contributed six. Smith scored four and Jacob Saetre added two. Jacob Anderson and Kyle Canaday each had one point.

The opening game of the tournament had Hartz leading the team with 17 points. Ruzicka and Frederick each scored eight. O’Neill added six while Starring and Whitmore scored three.

The Broncos are tentatively scheduled to meet Asotin on Saturday at 5:15 p.m. at Waitsburg High School. The schedule has been in a bit of flux as the LRS girls are scheduled to play in Dayton on the same day. Arlt was unsure if any more schedule changes were in the works.