Lady Broncos fall to Asotin in season opener

The Lind-Ritzville/Sprague Lady Broncos basketball team wasted no time jumping into Northeast 2B South League play.

The Lady Broncos opened their season on the road with a 57-47 loss against Asotin on Dec. 2.

The Lady Panthers outscored LRS 17-12 in the first quarter and would have a 14 points in the first half.

The Lady Broncos fought back, outscoring Asotin 12-10 in the second quarter, cutting the score to 27-24 at the end of first half.

The Lady Panthers outscored LRS 16-15 in the third quarter and 17-9 in the final quarter to capture the win.

Head Coach Steve Wellsandt attributed a few different factors in LRS’ loss to Asotin. He said the Lady Broncos’ use of hard-press defense against their opponents worked well. However offensively LRS turned the ball over after they reached half-court on nearly every play.

He said the team also ran into foul trouble during the game, which led to four players, including three starters, fouling out by the end of fourth quarter.

Wellsandt added the team had 6 for 18 shooting from the 3-point line and 50 percent from the free-throw line.

Although the team experienced setbacks, Wellsandt said the issues can be fixed through coaching and repetition during practice.

Another challenge Wellsandt noted is how players will need to learn their roles on the court.

Wellsandt noted some positivies during the game, one being how the team did not give up, especially when they were down by 14 points.

He noted Lacey Miller and Peyton Curtis both had a good, competitive game, leading the team with 13 points each.

Eliza Galbreath scored seven points, Julie Klein had five, Aaliyah Yaeger scored three and Abby Gering had two.

Wellsandt said the players who came off the bench contributed to the team’s momentum throughout the game including Klein who had 10 rebounds.

“Like I said before, we’ll be better at the end of the season,” Wellsandt said. “We’re still learning a lot of things.”

Wellsandt added the team will spend practice working on different press rotations.

The Lady Broncos hosted Tri-Cities Prep in at Gilson Gym on Dec. 5. The Lady Jaguars opened their season with a 61-51 loss against Columbia-Burbank on Dec. 1.

LRS plays Tekoa-Rosalia at home on Dec. 8. The Lady Timberwolves come into the game against the Lady Broncos with a 1-1 record.

They defeated St. John-Endicott 39-37 and lost to Garfield-Palouse, 57-38.