Broncos lose consecutive games against two of the league’s top teams

The past week of competition for the Lind-Ritzville/Sprague Broncos showed them how tough this year’s league competition will be, as well as areas of weakness as a team. The Broncos played three games: first earning a win against Reardan, before suffering back-to-back losses to Liberty and Colfax.

On Dec. 12, the Broncos went on the road to face an improved Reardan team, and Arlt said the Indians will be a team to watch the remainder of the season, as well as next year. The Broncos were able to persevere, and took home a 58-53 league win.

Arlt said both teams started the game slow, resulting in a low scoring first quarter. The Broncos were able to earn a slight advantage moving into the second quarter, 10-5, but the Indians prevented the LRS team from going on a run.

In the second quarter, Reardan increased their pressure against the Broncos and narrowed the score. Bryce Kelly stepped up and scored 7 of his 10 points for the night, while Shontz Yaeger finished out the quarter scoring all eight of his points and helping the Broncos earn a 28-20 advantage.

The Broncos will falter in the third quarter and allow Reardan to tie the game at 30. Arlt said the Broncos had a breakdown in communication and unity on the court, and focused too much on their individual errors instead of utilizing their team strength.

Slowly the Broncos earned back their lead, and continued to hold onto it for the remainder of the game. With a height advantage and with three talented athletes, Reardan continued to chip away at the Broncos, but the LRS man defense proved enough to prevent the Indians for earning a win.

In the fourth quarter, the Broncos went to the free-throw line 10 times, only sinking six of the shots. Reardan was able to make it a three-point game in the final minutes, but Camden Smith battled under the hoop for an offensive rebound and a two point bucket to extend the lead to five.

Kelly ended the night with 21 points, but Arlt said he struggled from three-point range. He provided nice drives and finishes at the hoop, going 7-8 on two-point attempts.

Easton Nelson scored 10 points for the Broncos and brought down nine rebounds. Smith had nine points and eight rebounds, followed by Yaeger with eight points.

Drew Kelly had seven rebounds for the team, while Smith and Bryce Kelly racked up four steals each.

Arlt said the Broncos struggled with free throws and also had 17 turnovers for the game. In order to earn wins against strong league teams, he added the team needs to improve from the free-throw line and do a better job of taking care of the ball.

On Dec. 15, the Broncos hosted Liberty for the Lancers’ second game of the season. The Lancers were coming off of a loss to Colfax, and Arlt said they showed tenacity and a determination to win from the beginning.

Arlt said the Broncos were able to stay with Liberty in the first few minutes of the game, but the Lancers showed their talent as they earned a 76-43 victory.

Midway through the first quarter, the game began unraveling for the Broncos. Arlt said the team made a run midway through the second to cut the Lancers lead to six, but from there, Liberty went on a 12-2 scoring run.

The Broncos were plagued with turnovers, having 19 in the first half and 30 for the game. They also continued to struggle from the free-throw line, sinking only 6 for 19.

Liberty also struggled shooting free throws, but Arlt said they are an all-around solid team and strong on both ends of the court. They ran a new press against the Broncos, one Arlt had seen them do before, and it caused problems for the LRS team.

Arlt said the press primarily focused on doubling the ball handler, and the Broncos seemed to be intimated, which resulted in turnovers and fast break opportunities for the Lancers. Towards the end of the game, fatigue also played a factor in the Broncos’ overall performance, Arlt added.

The Lancers only have eight athletes on their varsity roster, but Arlt said they have depth with those athletes. Liberty ended the game sinking their final six shots to increase their lead, and earn the win, over the Broncos.

The Broncos shot 3-15 from the perimeter, and Arlt said especially against tough teams, the team needs to improve on their shooting. They ended the night going 14-29 in two-point range, but Arlt said the highlight for the team was only giving up 10 offensive rebounds.

Nelson and Bryce Kelly led the team in scoring with 10 points each. Drew Kelly added eight points and seven rebounds for the Broncos.

Smith had 10 rebounds during the game, and Nelson recorded six.

Arlt said Nelson and Drew Kelly had solid games, but the remainder of the team played below their potential. The team needs to play with consistency, especially against the stronger league teams, if they want to be competitive this year, Arlt stated.

On Saturday, the Broncos hosted Colfax and had a strong start, earning an 8-1 advantage. The LRS team did a good job staying in front of their man on defense, but missed some opportunities offensively that prevented them from increasing their lead.

The team continued struggle with free throws, and two early fouls by Nelson changed the dynamic of the game for the Broncos.

Drew Kelly came off the bench and had a strong performance, scoring four points instantly and sinking seven points total for the half. In the second quarter, Kelly scored or assisted on all but one basket.

The Broncos had moments of strength in the second half, holding the Bulldogs to 25 points. But the amount of turnovers from the LRS team proved to be the difference of the game, and Colfax took advantage of the opportunity.

Arlt said he was pleased with the Broncos’ man defense, but as fatigue began to set in, they switched to a zone.

The Broncos played tough and hung in the game, but Arlt said the 24 turnovers were the difference of the contest, which resulted in a 43-29 loss for the Broncos.

The frustrating component of the game for Arlt was watching the team regress into last year’s tendencies and not play with the same intensity that they had early this season.

He stated the two losses have humbled the team a little, and hopefully will allow them to refocus in order to improve.

The Broncos only had four athletes score in the game against Colfax, and Arlt said the team has to have more people score if they want to win games. Nelson, Smith and Drew Kelly scored a combined 25 of the teams 29 points for the game.

The LRS team moved on to face St. John-Endicott in a nonleague game on Dec. 19, before going on the road to play Springdale on Dec. 20.

Arlt said the team needed the SJE game in order to compete at the level they used to and prepare for a tough game against Springdale. He hopes the team will earn the win Wednesday, and have a 4-2 league record, which will be a good start for the Broncos.