Broncos defeat Springdale, fall to NWC in District Tournament

After sinking the first shot of the game, the Lind-Ritzville/Sprague Broncos had to battle to maintain the lead against Springdale on Saturday.

The two teams met in the first round of the District Tournament in Reardan on Feb. 6, allowing the victor with an opportunity to compete against Northwest Christian in the next round.

The LRS team battled on the court, only giving up the lead once early in the first quarter. The Broncos maintained a slight, but consistent advantage over Springdale throughout the remainder of the game.

The Broncos returned home with a 49-38 win against the Bulldogs, and moved the Broncos into the next round against the league’s top team.

The first half set the tempo for the game, with both teams struggling offensively to get shots to fall. The Broncos missed multiple lay-in attempts and Head Coach Dustan Arlt said the team took almost a full quarter before they began to play better basketball.

Arlt said he felt that a lot of the athletes seemed nervous on the court, and it changed the demeanor for the entire team. Since the team is primarily comprised of seniors, he did not expect nerves to be a factor in the first round game.

In the first quarter, the Broncos played a zone defense against Springdale, but early fouls and free throw opportunities for the Bulldogs caused the LRS team to move into a man defense for the remainder of the game.

Arlt said in the two team’s first match up during the regular season, the Broncos had only allowed Springdale 35 points. He said they were focused on having the same success in Districts, and focused on taking away the perimeter shots from Springdale to reduce scoring opportunities.

The Broncos only allowed the Bulldogs a single 3-pointer in the game, but Springdale began relying on their primary post player, Chandler Carr, to put up points down low.

Carr posted the majority of his 13 points in the third quarter, and quickly helped his team narrow the Broncos’ lead to three.

A traveling call during a lay-in for Wyatt Roettger held the game at three until the final minute when Jacob Saetre hit a three to put the Broncos up by six.

Arlt said neither team played consistently well in the competition, and the Broncos struggled primarily on the defensive end. The team failed to provide strong help side defense, allowing Carr and other athletes to post points in the game.

The Broncos held on to their lead in the fourth quarter, not allowing any field goals for Springdale. The Bulldogs only earned three points from free throws.

In the fourth quarter, Arlt said he felt the Broncos played smarter and worked to gain the 11-point win. Offensively, the Broncos took care of the ball and tightened up their defensive efforts, preventing open looks at the hoop for Springdale.

The final quarter proved to be the strongest for the Broncos, and Arlt said he felt the team showed some fight and determination to move on as a winning team into the next round.

Overall, the Broncos did not play exceptionally well as a team, but all of the starters contributed to the win, Arlt said. While multiple athletes rotated in throughout the game, the bench only provided two points.

Saetre led the team in scoring with 17 points. Arlt said Saetre and Dylan Becker both played aggressive defense and helped the Broncos gain momentum on hustle plays.

Roettger ended the night with nine points and nine rebounds. Dallas Killian posted eight points, nine rebounds and Arlt said his overall work ethic helped the team stay competitive in the game.

Becker also ended the night with eight points and helped the Broncos on the boards. Alan Field put up five points, and Nick Fleming added two points.

The win on Saturday moved the Broncos into the second round game against Northwest Christian, the league’s top team and the second ranked team in the state.

Arlt said the team knew the downside of earning a win in the first round would be matching up against NWC, but the team seemed confident and ready to play in the Monday game.

While the team had a good feeling about the game, Arlt said they had a poor start. The Broncos quickly found themselves trailing 2-10 in the first quarter, and while they battled back a little, Arlt said the Broncos could not dig themselves out of the hole.

The Crusaders kept their scoring run going in the first quarter and posted a 24-11 score over the Broncos at the end of the quarter.

Arlt said the Broncos battled in every quarter after, but with a consistent five-six point scoring in those three quarters, the Crusaders proved impossible to catch.

The Broncos were handed a 36-65 loss by NWC.

Arlt said the first half proved to be the biggest struggle for the Broncos, and one NWC athlete posted 20 points alone during the half. The Broncos limited the Crusaders to 26 points in the second half, but NWC had two athletes score more than 20 points.

“The big, strong post has hurt us this year. It seems to be our weakness,” Arlt said about the Broncos’ disadvantage on the court. “Overall, when we get down we don’t fight very well.”

Arlt said the Crusaders’ gradually increasing lead affected all of the starters for the Broncos. When the team is trailing, Arlt said the Broncos tend to make selfish decisions, force shots and suffer from mental mistakes that stay with them for the remainder of the game.

The Broncos’ starters struggled in the game, Arlt said, but the bench provided hustle plays and intensity on the court.

Arlt said the Broncos began rotating players in during the third quarter, both allowing the starters to rest and also let them gain perspective on the game.

Arlt said the Broncos’ demeanor on Monday night worried him. The team seemed intimidated and played with mild intensity, something Arlt said he would expect from a younger team but not one with as much senior leadership as the Broncos.

Saetre led the team in scoring with 12 points, followed by Bryson Gering with six. Roettger posted four points, while Field and Killian each had three.

Ryan Frederick, Bryce Esser, Carlos Vuilleumier and Camden Smith each had two points.

The loss proves as a learning experience for the team, Arlt said, and he hoped the team focused on picking each other up and remaining competitive in the District game against Davenport on Wednesday.

Arlt said the Broncos needed to win the Davenport game in order to have a more favorable seed in the district.

The Broncos move on to play at 3:15 p.m. on Friday, with the opponent still to be determined at press time.