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The Lind-Ritzville/Sprague Broncos had a competitive week against league competitors the Davenport Gorillas and the Northwest Christian Crusaders.
The Broncos hosted Davenport on Jan. 9, and came away with a 45-42 league win. LRS was able to control the tempo of the game from the beginning, but the Gorillas never let the Broncos earn a significant lead.
Head Coach Dustan Arlt said defeating Davenport was a quality league win for the Broncos, and one they needed to move up in the standings. Davenport is an older, experienced and physical team, and Arlt said the Broncos had to make sure to play strong basketball from buzzer to buzzer in order to earn the win.
Last year, the Gorillas struggled against the Broncos’ 1-3-1 defense, and Arlt made sure to implement the zone early in the game to cause problems for Davenport.
The Broncos defense continued to frustrate the Gorillas and LRS was able to earn a 24-20 advantage at halftime. Without implementing a press, Arlt said the Broncos were able to force 20 turnovers during the game.
The LRS team posted their strongest performance of the night in the third quarter, outscoring Davenport 16-7 while remaining consistent and patient on both ends of the court.
The Broncos were able to maintain the lead and stay aggressive at the beginning of the fourth quarter, but with a 12-point lead and only 2:30 remaining in the game, Arlt said the wheels came off for the Broncos.
A three-quarter court press by Davenport left the Broncos flustered and resulted in turnovers and bad shots. The Gorillas took the opportunity to rack up transition points against the Broncos, and quickly cut the game to three points.
In the final minute of the game, Arlt said the Broncos were able to control Davenport and limit their looks at the hoop. By minimizing their scoring opportunities, the Broncos were able to earn the league win after a final 3-pointer fell short for Davenport.
Arlt said neither team had depth on the bench, which lead to a balanced game between the two teams. While the teams recorded similar stats on paper, the difference of the game could be attributed to Davenport going 0-16 on 3-pointers, Arlt stated.
The ending of the game was disappointing for Arlt, who had hoped the Broncos would finish strong instead of nearly losing a substantial lead. He is looking for the team to improve on ball handling and making smarter plays offensively.
Austin Thompson posted his best game of the season, sinking 16 points and recording two assists. He was 6-10 shooting for the night.
Camden Smith scored 11 points for the Broncos and brought down six rebounds, while Easton Nelson had seven rebounds, four steals and two points.
Drew Kelly recorded eight rebounds, three steals and eight points for the Broncos. Spencer Gering recoded six points.
The Broncos went on the road on Jan. 11 to face NWC. Arlt said the match up was another game like Davenport that could go either way.
Due to poor weather conditions, the Broncos had a long bus trip to NWC and Arlt said the time on the bus and the team still missing Shontz Yaeger proved to take a toll on the Broncos.
NWC also started out slow, missing the first six shots of the game and giving the Broncos and opportunity to gain momentum. Arlt said the Broncos managed to gain an early lead, but the Crusaders finished the quarter strong and jumped out to a seven-point lead.
The Broncos had gone on a 15-0 run early in the second, but again, were unable to stop NWC’s scoring drives at the end of the quarter. The Broncos went into halftime trailing by four, and Arlt thought they would have the chance to make a run for the win.
The second half did not go in favor of the Broncos, Arlt explained, and the Crusaders were able to gain a 12-point advantage that the Broncos could not overcome.
Arlt said the Broncos chipped away at the NWC lead, but missed lay-ins and poor ball handling was the difference of the game. He added the Crusaders are a mobile, athletic and good passing team, and they were able to break down the Broncos’ 1-3-1 defense better than most opponents.
Overall, Arlt said it was one of those games where the team was not bad, they just were not strong enough to overcome the deficit. The team as a whole recorded an “average” performance, he added.
The Broncos returned home with a 58-49 loss to the Crusaders.
Bryce Kelly led the team in scoring with 12 points, followed by Smith and Nelson with 10 point each.
Smith, Nelson and Drew Kelly led the team in rebounding with seven each.
The Broncos move on to face Wilbur-Creston and Kettle Falls this week, and Arlt said the Broncos need both wins to hold onto their third place seat in the league standings.
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