Lady Broncos win against Mary Walker, fall to St. George’s

The Lind-Ritzville/Sprague Lady Broncos are gearing up for the play offs as they played two league games this week against Springdale and St. George’s.

On Friday, Jan. 20, the Lady Broncos hosted Mary Walker with plans to showcase their offensive improvement and motivation to earn the league win.

Due to weather conditions, the Lady Broncos were unable to have consistent practices, causing them to fall behind in their conditioning and fundamental skills, said Head Coach Gary Kelly. Despite the lack of practices, Kelly said he anticipated earning the win against Mary Walker due to the advanced skill level of the Lady Broncos.

The slower pace allowed the team to execute their game plans accordingly and constantly rotate in players, he explained. With a majority of the starters resting on the bench, Kelly said he rotated in some of the younger athletes in order to allow them additional playing time and a chance to put points on the board for the Lady Broncos.

Kelly said the game went as expected in the fact the team had a slow start to the first quarter and allowed Mary Walker to trail closely behind in points. By the end of the first quarter the Lady Broncos remained in the lead by a mere 10-8.

The team picked up the intensity in the second quarter when Felicia Ziemer sunk a 3-pointer, giving the Lady Broncos’ offense a confidence boost.

Eliza Galbreath continues to improve in her shooting skills and led the team in points with 15 for the Lady Broncos. Kelly said he remains impressed with Galbreath’s constant improvement in her game as she is evolving into a strong offensive threat on the hardwood with intensity and height. She ended the game with six rebounds, three steals and two assists.

The lack of practices took a physcial toll on the team’s defense as they seemed to play at their opponent’s level rather than remaining aggressive and using height as an advatnage, said Kelly. With a lack of energy in the defense, Kelly looked to the offense search for opportunities to score and put points on the board.

The Lady Broncos had a six-point lead against the Lady Chargers at halftime. Going into the third quarter, Kelly said he expected the offense to play aggressive basketball in order to continue putting points on the board and further their lead.

The Lady Broncos’ defense picked up the pace and held the Lady Chargers to two points in the third quarter. By being quick to block shots and grab rebounds, Kelly said the team’s defense is nearly unstoppable when they play as one solid force against their opponents.

Aliyah Yaeger showcased improvement in her shooting abilities as she drained two 3-pointers in the last half of the game.

As the final buzzer sounded, the Lady Broncos walked away with a 55-28 victory over Mary Walker. Kelly said he is impressed by the way the team played and how they executed their advanced fundamental skills on the court.

The team traveled to Spokane on Saturday, Jan. 21, to face St. George’s. Kelly said he expected the game to be tough due to St. George’s high ranking. Not being able to have consistent practices proved to be frustrating to Kelly as he knew the team would need to be in the best shape possible to compete with the Lady Dragons.

The game against Mary Walker took a physcial toll on the team as they began the first quarter off slow and only scored three points. St. George’s continued to pressure the Lady Broncos as they quickly got the rebounds and drove the ball to the hoop.

By the end of the first quarter, the Lady Broncos were down 3-16 to the Lady Dragons.

By the second quarter the team began to gain intensity and put more points on the board but continued to trail behind St. George’s. Kelly said the team seemed to forget basic fundamentals and they began turning the ball over.

On offense the Lady Broncos had some good looks but could not finish, which allowed St. George’s to pull further ahead, said Kelly.

The Lady Broncos began to pick up the pace in the middle of the second quarter and worked together as one solid unit against the Lady Dragons, said Kelly.

With new energy, the team started to find momentum on the court and applied pressure to St. George’s offense. Peyton Curtis used her speed and height as an advantage and led the team in points with 15 for the Lady Broncos.

Kelly said the change in pace during the second quarter impressed him as the team showed him they could compete with elite teams despite what the scoreboard reads.

The Lady Broncos fought hard the last half of the game and remained determined to force the Lady Dragons to earn the win. In the fourth quarter, Kelly said the team kept the intensity high as St. George’s began to have foul trouble.

Despite their immense efforts, the Lady Broncos were able to put 16 points on the board but fell to the Lady Dragons 45-40 when they missed some key freethrows at the end of the fourth quarter.

Kelly said the team will focus on conditioning and shooting in pratice this week as they prepare for their game against Liberty and Colfax this weekend.

By improving the Lady Bronco’s endurance and offensive strength Kelly said he expects them to be victorious over the elite teams.

The Lady Broncos host Liberty on Friday, Jan. 27, in the Gilson Gym with the Junior Cheer Camp Cheerleaders performing at halftime.