2015 Sports in Review: Local athletes compete at state

January

Broncos boys basketball were ranked fifth in league standings after starting the year off strong with multiple league wins versus the Dayton Bulldogs and Kettle Falls Bulldogs. The team faced these teams after a week off for holiday breaks.

The Tigercats boys basketball team headed into their last two games still fighting for a win. They played a tough match against Pomeroy where they sank seven three-point shots but ultimately returned home with a loss of 70-31.

The Lady Tigercats’ season headed towards the end with two losses versus the Touchet Lady Indians and the Pomeroy Lady Pirates. The team had two more chances to add notches to their win category in league games before the season concluded.

The Lady Broncos head into their last two games with a 7-3 record and a fourth place ranking in their league. The team will face the Liberty Lady Lancers and the Freeman Lady Scotties before the district tournament begins.

February

The Broncos team finished their regular season with two difficult losses and moved onto the District Tournament in Reardan. They began the tournament with a loss to the Northwest Christian Crusaders, moving on to face the Reardan Indians in a loser out game. After the Broncos’ win, they lost to St. George’s. They moved on to play Colfax for the fifth place title in the tournament.

The Tigercats finished their season after two games versus Oakesdale and Garfield-Palouse. They finished the season with an 0-15 record.

The Lady Tigercats’ season concluded after two final league games against Oakesdale and Garfield-Palouse. Their season ended with a 2-15 record after two wins versus College Place.

The Lady Broncos finished their regular season strong and moved onto the District Tournament. Their success at Districts made them a third or fourth seed into the Sub-Regional Tournament.

March

The Lind-Ritzville/Sprague Lady Broncos earned the title of 2B Academic State Champions for girl’s basketball with an accumulative grade point average of 3.85 during their season.

The Lady Broncos basketball season came to an end during Regionals where they fought the Napavine Lady Tigers. After a battle they ultimately fell 66-49, which eliminated them from the state tournament.

Four Lind-Ritzville Sprague seniors were invited to play in the All-Star Basketball Game for District 7. For the LRS Broncos were Kyle Canaday and Cort Ruzicka and from the Lady Broncos Mallory Kessler and Jenna Bennett.

The Lind-Ritzville/Sprague Broncos golf team hosted a nine-hole league match where Tessa Jantz finished as the individual medalist in the girls’ competition with a score of 45.

April

The Lind-Ritzville/Sprague Broncos competed in their first track and field meet of the season at the annual Ezra Gordon Invitation where Tracy Melville set a new school record in the 3200-meter race with a time of 11:25:45.

The Lind-Ritzville/Sprague girls’ tennis team began their competition with success despite windy conditions in Davenport where they won 3-2. The boys were also able to come out on top with a score of 5-0.

There were 700 athletes competing in the 10th Annual Undeberg Invitational and the LRS girls’ team emerged with the Team Champion title. They earned the top spot with 86 points followed by Colfax with 70.5.

The Broncos baseball playoff dreams were ended by a doubleheader versus Liberty with one loss and one win for the team. The loss added to the two losses obtained earlier in the week against the Davenport Gorillas ended their playoff run.

The Lady Broncos softball team played a doubleheader against Liberty and won both games, which advanced them to the District Tournament. They won the games with scores of 17-8 and 23-3.

May

Numerous Broncos golfers advanced to the Regional tournament after a league competition in Stoneridge. Among the boys were Trevor Jantz, Michael Shields, Brian Campbell and Matthew Leffel. Tessa Jantz and Morgan Lane will move on to the Regional Tournament for the Lady Broncos as well.

The Lind-Ritzville/Sprague track and field team hosted the League Qualifier where athletes qualified to compete in the next round of competition at districts. The girls placed second with 101 points trailing Colfax, the girls relay teams all moved on to districts. Alan Field qualified for the boys’ team in four events.

The Lady Broncos played their third game in the District Tournament versus Kettle Falls where they earned their spot in the Regional Tournament with a 15-3 win.

June

Ten athletes placed for the Lind-Ritzville/Sprague team to move onto the State Track Championships. Competing in State were: Kate Schell, Rachel Schell, Felicia Ziemer, Tracy Melville, Holly Nygren, Samantha Asmussen, Heidi Hennings, Kallie Harder, Alan Field and Peyton Kiel.

Rose Melville finished third in the Tennis State Championships in the singles tournament. She was the only Lind-Ritzville/Sprague Bronco to qualify for the State Tennis Championships.

The Lady Broncos softball team’s season ended with a 10-13 record overall after a run in the Regional Tournament.