Freeman defeats Broncos, LRS preps for tough league battles

The Lind-Ritzville/Sprague Broncos hosted the Freeman Scotties on Dec. 22 in a nonleague competition, and were unable to match the physicality of the 1A school. The Broncos lost the game with a final score of 42-60.

Head Coach Dustan Arlt said while the Broncos came out strong in the first two minutes of the game, the team quickly lost momentum and Freeman jumped out to a double-digit point advantage. The Broncos suffered from poor shooting throughout the game, and could never close the 12-point gap the Scotties earned by the end of the first quarter.

Arlt said the team was plagued by fouls early in the game, causing the Broncos defense to have to adjust to attempt to find the best defensive strategy. The LRS team rotated between two zone defenses and man coverage, but was still unable to prevent the Freeman scoring drive.

“They shot well, we didn’t,” Arlt summarized for the Broncos overall shooting efforts.

The LRS team struggled with getting shots to fall, and ended the night going 2 for 22 on three-point shots. The Broncos also came up short at the foul line, only sinking 6 of 16 shots.

Arlt said aside from shooting, the Broncos also suffered from poor decision making and bad passes. The turnovers provided Freeman with more looks at the hoop, and prevented the Broncos from quality looks at the basket.

The Broncos had a hard time increasing their intensity level during the game, and Arlt said the whole team struggled on both ends of the court. The Scotties had strong athletes and the Broncos could not compete with their athleticism and physicality, Arlt said.

While the Broncos had open looks at the hoop and did not have to force all their shots, Arlt said the team still could not get the shot to fall.

The Broncos also were heavily outrebounded by Freeman, who used the boards to their advantage for put back points.

Arlt said the Broncos need to improve at the foul line in order to have an opportunity to close the scoring gaps when the Broncos trail. For how strong and consistent of shooters the team has, Arlt said the Broncos constantly seem to struggle at the foul line.

He added the team also has to become more physical in order to earn more foul shots during games.

Overall, Arlt said the Broncos seemed tired and lacked the focus the team has had in past games. He is hopefully the team uses the Freeman game as a learning experience, as the LRS squad is gearing up to face some of the league’s toughest teams in the upcoming week.

Wyatt Roettger, who had 14 points and grabbed eight rebounds, led the Broncos in scoring on Tuesday night. Jacob Saetre added eight points for the Broncos, followed by Dylan Becker with six.

Dallas Killian had five points, Alan Field added four points, Bryson Gering sank a three, and Carlos Vuilleumier had two points.

After playing Odessa-Harrington on Dec. 29, the Broncos are geared up to face Tekoa-Rosalia in a second league show down on Dec. 30. Arlt expected the back-to-back games to be hard on the Broncos, especially being right after the Christmas holiday.

But Arlt said the team cannot let down and needs to remain focused on their upcoming competition. The Broncos face Liberty on the road on Jan. 2, and the game will decide who the winner is of the Broncos’ half of the league.

Arlt said Liberty is good at crashing the boards, and the Broncos must remain tough and focused throughout the entire game in order to earn the win. The Lancers will be the toughest league rival the Broncos have faced this season, and Arlt expects to see quality competition, but is nervous about the team having to go on the road for the league game.

The Broncos have a quickness advantage over the Lancers, Arlt said, but the LRS team has to play physical to defeat Liberty.

Arlt said the key is for the Broncos to stay out of foul trouble while working for free throw opportunities. It will be crucial for the Broncos to improve from the foul line during the second half of the season, Arlt said, especially in competitive games where the scoring difference could be only a point.

The Broncos have another tough match on Jan. 5 when they play at home against Northwest Christian, one of the top teams in the state.

With two tough back-to-back games, Arlt said the Broncos will need to remain focused and motivated to defeat the league’s top teams.