Lady Broncos qualify for Sub-Regionals

With the conclusion of the regular season the Lind-Ritzville/Sprague Lady Broncos moved on the next phase of competition, the District Tournament. In the first two contests the Lady Broncos and their opponents have been forced into overtime to decide the game.

They faced their first opponent, the Davenport Lady Gorillas, on Feb. 4.

The Lady Broncos jumped out to an early lead in the first quarter over their first tournament opponents. With an 18-9 lead at the end of the first quarter and a 34-25 lead at halftime, the Lady Broncos looked like they were in full control of the game.

In the third quarter the Lady Gorillas were able to cut the Lady Broncos’ lead by one point. In the fourth quarter the Lady Broncos allowed their opponents to score 17 points to their nine and tie the game.

Head Coach John Galbreath said the team stopped attacking on offense and there seemed to be a lapse in the team’s intensity.

The Lady Gorillas took the victory in overtime 70-67 after the additional four minutes of play.

Tessa Jantz led the scoring efforts with 17 points. Mallory Kessler added another 16 points for the Lady Broncos and Jenna Bennett contributed 13. Tommi Swannack and Peyton Curtis added to the Lady Broncos’ scoring threats with nine and eight points respectively.

The Lady Broncos returned to the District Tournament in Reardan on Feb. 7, this time to face Liberty in a loser-out competition, with the winner continuing in the tournament.

The Lady Broncos started similarly to their previous game, jumping out to an early lead over the Lady Lancers and holding a 32-23 lead at halftime. In the second half the Lady Broncos allowed the Lady Lancers to close their lead in the third quarter and tie the game in the fourth.

The fourth quarter would see both teams battling for the lead. With both teams in the double foul bonus, LRS athlete Tessa Jantz fouled out during the fast-paced game.

Christine Denny hit a last second three-point shot to tie the game as the buzzer sounded to end the fourth quarter.

The teams continued to battle for the lead in overtime. Denny hit another contested 3-pointer to put the Lady Lancers ahead of the Lady Broncos. The Lady Broncos battled back, sinking free throws and taking advantage of open looks at the hoop. Felicia Ziemer sank a crucial free throw to tie the game again and allow her team to retake the lead.

Finally the game ended and the Lady Broncos came out with a win, 72-67 over the Lady Lancers.

Kessler carried the Lady Broncos during the contest, with 22 points and nine rebounds. The rest of the Lady Broncos scoring threats also recorded double-digit contributions.

Curtis was the second leading scorer at 15 points during the game. She also filled in on defense for Jantz, matching up against Denny.

Swannack also recorded 12 points with Bennett and Jantz adding 11 points each for the Lady Broncos victory.

On Feb. 9 the Lady Broncos took on their next tournament opponents, the St. George’s Lady Dragons.

The Lady Broncos and the Lady Dragons faced each other twice during the regular season, splitting the wins. The first game in Ritzville on Dec. 20 the Lady Broncos won handily, 52-27.

In the second game, at St. George’s, the Lady Broncos struggled, losing to a last second free throw shot with a score of 40-39 in the Lady Dragons’ favor.

The Lady Broncos had a good chance to win the game if they keep their intensity up, Galbreath said.

“I feel, actually really confident going into it,” Galbreath explained. “If we play our game we’re going to be fine.”

The Lady Broncos jumped ahead of their opponents early on Tuesday night but by halftime the Lady Dragons had retaken the lead 27-26.

The Lady Broncos rallied in the second half, reclaiming the lead in the third quarter and securing it in the fourth. Defense was key in the Lady Broncos’ victory. They held the Lady Dragons to single digit scoring in three of the game’s quarters.

Seniors Kessler and Bennett led the Lady Broncos’ scoring with 14 and 13 points. Bennett also added nine rebounds to her stats during the evening’s contest. Jantz added another 11 points for her team. Curtis added an additional six points and Swannack had four points during the game.

The Lady Broncos advance to the next round of the district tournament and are guaranteed either the third or fourth seed into the Sub-Regional Tournament starting Feb. 16.

They face the Reardan Lady Indians on Feb. 12 at 3:15 p.m. in Reardan.