Lady Broncos return home to play Colfax, start league competition

The Lind-Ritzville/Sprague Lady Broncos had a busy week with three games against Tri-Cities Prep (TCP), Liberty and Colfax.

The team began their week by traveling to Pasco to face TCP in a non-league game on Wednesday, Dec. 7, after the game had been postponed a day due to weather conditions.

The Lady Broncos kept the game under control and out played their opponents until the final buzzer sounded, said Head Coach Gary Kelly. They claimed victory against TCP with a score of 70-37.

Peyton Curtis proved to be a powerhouse on offense and consistently put points on the board for the Lady Broncos. She claimed the most points with 25 for the team, five of which were 3-pointers.

The team played aggressive defense and remained determined to not allow their opponents to take the lead.

Kelly said the game went as he expected and is proud of how the athletes performed.

The Lady Broncos then traveled to Liberty on Friday, Dec. 9, for their second game of the week. Kelly said he expected the game to be tough because Liberty is one of the top teams in the league.

Liberty showcased their advanced skills by beginning the game strong and confident, said Kelly. Besides their impressive ball handling skills, Kelly said the Lady Lancers remained in the lead by maintaining pressure in the back court, which the Lady Broncos were not prepared for.

Being one of the top team’s in the league, Kelly said he anticipated some heavy pressure from Liberty, but he knew the team could find a way to overcome. Once the Lady Broncos figured out Liberty’s routine, Kelly said the rest of the game seemed evenly matched.

Curtis continued to take shots placing 15 points on the board for the team. Tessa Jantz also showcased strong offensive skills and scored 12 points for the Lady Broncos by the end of the game.

As experienced players on the top, Kelly said he expected the duo to take on a leadership role for the team and set a standard for the younger players.

Kelly explained this season he will be rotating players a lot and trying them in different positions in order to discover their strengths on the court. Normally a point guard in past seasons, Kelly has been rotating Felicia Ziemer as a shooting guard for her ability to provide persistent shots.

The frustration of falling behind in points during the second quarter allowed the Lady Broncos to let their emotions affect their mental game, Kelly explained. By the end of the game, the team had racked up 16 fouls in an attempt to break through Liberty’s ruthless defense.

Despite a tough fight, the Lady Broncos lost the game to Liberty with a score of 49-33. Kelly said the team’s inability to defeat the Lady Lancers full court press pressure is the reason for the loss.

The team did not have time to rest before gearing up for their third game of the week on Dec. 10 against Colfax.

Kelly said he made the team aware of the advanced technical skills the Lady Bulldogs possessed prior to the game. He knew the Lady Broncos would have to put the loss from the night before behind them in order to mentally prepare for the competition.

The team seemed to put basic fundamentals of the game on hold and played based off emotion and frustration, he explained. The team did not perform as expected, he stated.

“I don’t think we mentally executed the techniques or the strategies that we got in place,” Kelly stated.

Freshman Eliza Galbreath impressed Kelly with her shooting skills by claiming 12 points for the Lady Broncos and making all four of her free throws. Sophomore Lacey Miller also showcased her ability to provide persistent shooting by making five of her six free throws.

Despite the constant shooting, Kelly said the team’s biggest draw back proved to be the large number of fouls. By the end of the game, the Lady Broncos had allowed Colfax to gain 10 points from free throws.

Once the Lady Broncos began having foul trouble, it caused challenges for the team by limiting the rotation, Kelly explained. With two of the starters racking up four fouls by the third quarter, he was forced to place players in different positions.

This affected the match ups between the two teams, allowing the Lady Bulldogs to take advantage of the team’s less experienced defense.

When the final buzzer sounded, the Lady Broncos lost to Colfax with a score of 55-45. Despite the negative outcome of the game, Kelly said he remained impressed with the team’s shooting as they had an overall percentage of 73.

The loss can be attributed to the fact the Lady Broncos did not play to the best of their abilities, said Kelly and he wants to make sure the players put the past behind them and strive to be better.

He explained the previous teams the Lady Broncos have competed against did not prepare them for the advanced skills Liberty and Colfax possess.

Kelly said he looks forward to playing the two teams again because he knows the Lady Broncos will acquire the talent to challenge them.

They will also be preparing for their three games this week against Reardan, Tekoa-Rosalia and Asotin. Kelly said he expects the team to play well against Reardan due to the outcome in previous seasons.

The Lady Broncos host Asotin on Dec. 17 at 6 p.m.