Lady Broncos sweep three league games prior to Districts

The Lady Broncos are coming off of a three game winning streak during the past week as they enter into the District Tournament. The Lind-Ritzville/Sprague team knocked off Reardan, Asotin and Tekoa-Rosalia to secure a third place seed in the south portion of the league.

The success started on Jan. 30 when the Lady Broncos went on the road to face the Reardan Lady Indians. The Lady Broncos took the floor with confidence, and Head Coach Gary Kelly said the team remained consistent throughout the game.

With being a notch above their competitors, Kelly said he knew the Lady Broncos could become lax on the court and still potentially earn a win. The LRS team did not play with less intensity because of their advantage, but instead worked towards playing as a cohesive unit.

Kelly stated the team played from start to finish with solid fundamentals and the Lady Broncos never felt threatened by Reardan, even on scoring drives. The patience allowed the Lady Broncos to set up their offense and utilize all members of the team to earn the 59-44 win.

The team displayed a cohesiveness and understanding during the game that had not always been present in previous games, Kelly said. Every member of the team contributed to the success of the Lady Broncos and they all had a solid all-around performance, Kelly said.

While the Lady Indians stayed with the LRS team in scoring during the first quarter, the Lady Broncos kicked up the intensity in the second quarter. During the second and third quarter, the Lady Broncos outscored Reardan 37-16.

Kelly said the Lady Broncos always enjoy the trip up to Reardan to compete, and this time the team benefited from remaining in control throughout the entire game. The only downfall for the Lady Broncos on Tuesday proved to be free throw shooting, and Kelly stated it will be a focus for the team, especially entering post season play.

During the first two quarters of the game, Reardan attempted to implement a full court press against the Lady Broncos. Kelly said the Lady Broncos did not have an issue breaking through the pressure, and it lead to quick transition points for the team.

The team also had excellent ball movement, Kelly explained, and it kept the Reardan athletes moving and trying to keep up with the Lady Broncos’ fast paced tempo.

The Lady Broncos had the size advantage during the match up, and also benefitted from more experience. Kelly said Reardan is a young team, but he believes they will be some of the league’s toughest competitors in the upcoming years.

Peyton Curtis had a strong game for the Lady Broncos, putting up 17 points for the team. Kelly said Curtis continues to evolve as an athlete during each game, and is starting to attack the rim more, as well as creating more opportunities to set up her teammates to score.

Tessa Jantz continued to serve as another leading scorer for the team, sinking 15 points for the Lady Broncos. Lacey Miller added nine to the team’s total, followed by Kallie Harder and Felicia Ziemer with six.

Eliza Galbreath led the team in assists with six, followed by Curtis with three.

On Saturday, the Lady Broncos came out strong and dominated the court against Asotin. The team continued to rotate through the roster and allow younger athletes more playing time, and the Lady Broncos earned a 44-21 win.

Kelly said everything went how the team wanted, and the Lady Broncos played excellent basketball. Because of their advantage on the court, Kelly noted the younger athletes gained more playing time in order to let the starters rest and prepare for the upcoming post season games.

While Asotin succeeded in applying a strong man defense, Kelly said the Lady Panthers struggled with depth for shooters. The Lady Broncos were able to contain Asotin’s shooting opportunities, and the Lady Broncos maintained a comfortable 10-point lead minimum throughout the game.

The Lady Broncos continued to distribute the ball well amongst the team, and also worked together to post an impressive night for one player. Jantz ended the night with a season high 21 points, and Kelly said she served as the beneficiary of the team’s ability to execute the defense.

At post, Jantz also had a height and strength advantage over her opponents, and Kelly said the Lady Broncos were patient offensively to wait for the best time to feed the ball inside. The LRS team displayed perfect teamwork, Kelly stated, and the improved communication translated to success for the team.

Jantz posted all 21 points during 12 minutes of play for the Lady Broncos.

Galbreath posted five points, seven rebounds and six assists for the Lady Broncos, and Kelly said the team is relying on the freshman athlete to keep fighting on the court to help them remain competitive.

With another night of balanced scoring from the Lady Broncos, Kelly said he believes the team is peaking at the right time, especially with more athletes contributing to putting points on the board.

Kelly explained the Lady Broncos converted nearly every possession to points, and because of their skill level, the LRS team had an opportunity to run through plays. Both teams also had a low foul count for the night, which resulted in a quick game, but allowed all athletes to gain experience.

The Lady Broncos returned home on Feb. 6 to host Tekoa-Rosalia in the final league game of the regular season. The team commanded the court again and captured a 63-41 win against the Lady Timberwolves.

The LRS team took a strong lead during the first quarter, playing the best first quarter of basketball Kelly has seen this season. The impressive performance did not stop there, as one athlete posted the best stats of the season, and possibly her career.

Jantz had a nearly flawless game, playing 21 minutes and scoring 18 points and bringing in 12 rebounds. She went 7-7 from the field and 4-4 from the free throw line.

Kelly stated Jantz had a remarkable performance and he cannot even imagine what she could have done if allowed to play the full game. The Monday night game also served as the last home game for Jantz, who is a senior this year.

The Lady Broncos fed off of Jantz’ success on the court, and the team jumped out to a 21-6 advantage at the end of the first quarter. Kelly said the team executed every play perfectly, rebounded well and had tenacious defense.

Kelly noted the team also began to make adjustments offensively based on Tekoa-Rosalia’s defense, and the team was able to push through the Lady Timberwolves defense.

Tekoa-Rosalia began to make a comeback in the second quarter as Kelly rotated in the younger athletes, as well as other senior athletes. Kelly said even with the strong offensive push by the Lady Timberwolves, the LRS team remained composed and continued to control the tempo of the game.

In the third quarter, the starters returned to the court and continued to add to the Lady Broncos’ lead. Kelly stated the game served as one of the best games all season, and served as a great senior night.

Along with Jantz, Curtis and Miller helped control the offensive scoring drives for the Lady Broncos and both athletes ended the night with 15 points. Kelly said Miller has improved at driving to the hoop and drawing fouls, and her intensity to the basket has proved to be a benefit for the team.

Harder ended the night with seven points and 10 rebounds, while Ziemer added three points and had eight steals.

Kelly said the past three games have been rewarding for him as a coach, and he has especially enjoyed watching the girls come together as a team. As more athletes continue to step up and compete for the Lady Broncos, Kelly has a positive outlook for the team’s success in the post season.

The Lady Broncos faced Northwest Christian on Feb. 7 as the third seed in the south portion of the league. Kelly said if the Lady Broncos played with confidence, they should earn the win, but then go into two games against opponents they have not won against this season.