Broncos have strong first half performance against St. George’s

The Lind-Ritzville/Sprague Broncos had successful outings on the hardwood, posting a nonleague win before playing a competitive first half against the league’s top team, St. George’s.

The Broncos played in the rescheduled Columbia-Burbank game on Jan. 2, a less than ideal day for competition after the winter break and New Year holiday, Head Coach Dustan Arlt explained. The match up proved to be just what LRS needed, and they returned home with a 49-43 victory.

The two teams had an evenly matched first quarter, with the Broncos securing a four point lead at the end of the quarter. Arlt said Columbia-Burbank hit back-to-back 3-pointers early in the second quarter that kept the Broncos racing to close the scoring gap.

In the final minutes of the second quarter, the Broncos were able to tie the game but not earn the lead. Arlt said the team played with intensity and purpose to tie the game by half.

The third quarter was the Broncos strongest performance of the game, Arlt stated, as Spencer Gering and Bryce Kelly drained 3-pointers to help move LRS ahead by eight.

In the fourth quarter, Arlt said the team faltered a little but were able to stay out in front of Columbia-Burbank. The Broncos struggled with taking care of the game and had multiple turnovers, which allowed the game to move into a five-point difference.

Columbia-Burbank implemented a full-court press midway through the fourth quarter, and the pressure resulted in turnovers for the Broncos. Arlt said LRS benefitted from Columbia-Burbank not being able to convert on all steals.

Arlt said the Coyotes were an experienced team with good size and skilled players, and the two teams were well balanced throughout the game. In terms of shooting, turnovers and steals, the two teams recorded nearly identical statistics.

The best performance for the Broncos was their defense, Arlt explained. The team played primarily in man defense, but rotated to their 1-3-1 in order to force turnovers and earn steals against the Coyotes.

Austin Thompson had one of the strongest performances of his career, recording 10 points, four assists, three steals and seven rebounds. Arlt said Thompson also did not have any personal turnovers, and provided a depth from the guard position that the Broncos needed.

Bryce Kelly scored 12 points for the Broncos and led the team in scoring. Drew Kelly had eight points, followed by Easton Nelson with seven.

Gering scored five, Camden Smith had four and Shontz Yaeger rounded out the Broncos scoring with three points.

Arlt said Smith and Nelson had tough defensive opponents during the game, limiting their looks at the hoop but they still managed to pull down rebounds for the Broncos.

The nonleague contest allowed the Broncos to prepare for their league competition against St. George’s on Jan. 6. LRS knew it would be hard to upset the Dragons, but proved in the first half they could be competitive with the league’s top team.

Arlt said the Dragons were short one athlete, but the Broncos were too, resulting in a lack of depth on the local team’s bench.

St. George’s was returning the same athletes from last year, and after suffering a nearly 50-point loss the previous season, Arlt was pleased the Broncos ended the night with only a 58-46 loss.

The Broncos’ goal was to stay in the first half of the game, and they achieved that goal by have a three-point advantage at halftime, 29-26. Arlt said the Broncos showed improvement and confidence early in the game, and their strong 1-3-1 defense caused problems for the Dragons.

LRS used their length to ensure all of St. George’s shots were contested, and then made smart decisions offensively until midway through the second quarter. Arlt said the Broncos began to unravel towards the end of the second quarter, and did not take care of the ball.

The Broncos were able to hold onto their lead in the first half, and Arlt said they also excelled at blocking out to bring down rebounds on both ends of the court. In the first half, six of the seven Bronco players scored for the team.

In the third quarter, the Dragons came out motivated after halftime as they are not used to trailing another team, Arlt explained. With the increased intensity and full-court pressure, the Broncos struggled to move the ball up the court and made rushed passes, resulting in turnovers.

Arlt said the Broncos were able to compete in the first minutes of the quarter, but as the game progressed, the team was rattled and fatigued. The Broncos could not manage to slow the pace of the game or anticipate the pass, which made the team continue to rack up turnovers.

The Broncos ended the night with 28 turnovers, and the majority occurred late in the second quarter and in the third quarter.

Arlt said the team needs to improve on taking care of the ball when facing pressure and not allowing themselves to be intimidated by other teams.

In the fourth quarter, the Dragons continued to run away with the lead, going up by as much as 23 points over the Broncos. Arlt said the LRS team did a good job of remaining focused and not giving up in the last minutes, allowing them to still be a competitor.

Arlt said the Broncos gave the Dragons open looks at the hoop towards the end of the game, and fatigue played a major factor for the team, as they only had seven suited up to play.

Bryce Kelly and Smith led the team in scoring with 12 points each. Gering and Nelson each recorded six points, and Drew Kelly and Thompson had five points.

The Broncos will now move on to face Davenport and Northwest Christian in competitive league games in the upcoming week. Arlt said the Broncos will need to expect pressure and play with confidence if they want to win the games.

Both teams will be competitive matches, Arlt said, and the Broncos will need to utilize their talents and reduce turnovers if they want to improve their league record. Arlt is hoping to see the Broncos anticipate their teammates movements better on the court in the next games and work on slowing the game down in their heads when the intensity increases.

The Broncos hosted Davenport on Jan. 9, and go on the road to face Northwest Christian on Jan. 11.