Lady Broncos earn wins against Wilbur-Creston, Kettle Falls

The Lind-Ritzville/Sprague Lady Broncos basketball team snapped a three-game losing streak with back-to-back Northeast 2B League wins.

On. Jan. 19, the Lady Broncos executed a 66-33 victory against Wilbur-Creston in Gilson Gym. The next night, they traveled to Kettle Falls where they defeated the Lady Bulldogs, 43-34.

Head Coach Steve Wellsandt said he thought the team played well against Wilbur-Creston on both offense and defense.

The Lady Broncos came out of the gate with a strong offense, outscoring the Lady Wildcats 21-7 in the first quarter. They had their strongest eight minutes of the night in the second quarter, adding 24 points to their score.

LRS scored only 13 points in the third quarter, then added eight more in the final eight minutes.

Peyton Curtis had one of her overall strongest games, leading both teams in scoring with 25 points and recording seven rebounds, five assists and four steals.

Wellsandt said Curtis has taken about 30 percent of the team’s total shots this season and has become one of the Lady Broncos’ most consistent scorers.

Linnea Schafer added 11 points, while Lacey Miller and Eliza Galbreath had seven points each. Abby Gering recorded six points and Julia Klein had four points. Aaliyah Yaeger and Tessa O’Brien rounded out LRS’ scoring with three points each.

Wellsandt said the team’s shooting percentage was better against Wilbur-Creston than in previous games as they made 38 percent of their shots from the three-point line and 50 percent from inside the perimeter.

Against Kettle Falls, the Lady Broncos started with close lead, outscoring the Lady Bulldogs 8-7 in the first quarter. They gained momentum in the second quarter, adding 16 points to lead the game 24-15 after the first half.

The Lady Broncos outscored Kettle Falls 12-4 to maintain a comfortable lead heading in the fourth quarter. The Lady Bulldogs chipped away at LRS’ lead, outscoring the Lady Broncos 15-7 in the fourth quarter.

Wellsandt said the team’s shooting was not as consistent in the Kettle Falls game as it was the previous contest. He credited the team’s defense for keeping the Lady Bulldogs to 34 points and preventing them from taking the lead. He also hopes the Kettle Falls game taught the athletes the importance of utilizing their defense to win a game when their offense is not working well.

Wellsandt added LRS had worked on zone and man defense in practice, and it has translated to success in the last two games.

In scoring, Curtis led the game with 23 points while Miller added eight and Galbreath had four. Klein recorded three points while Brooke Koch had two and O’Brien had one.

In both games, Wellsandt played several athletes off the bench to provide them with time on the court and build their confidence. It also allowed starters an opportunity to rest after already playing several minutes in the first half.

Wellsandt said all of the bench players have stepped up when they are provided the opportunity to play. He said this will help him see how deep the bench is when the Lady Broncos reach the postseason.

With these two wins, LRS is 5-6 in league play, 7-7 overall and sits in the third-place position in the league standings.

On Jan. 26, the Lady Broncos will travel to Rosalia to play the Lady Timberwolves, who are 0-8 in league play and 1-12 overall.

LRS defeated Tekoa-Rosalia, 62-34, on Dec. 8 to earn their second league win of the season. Even though LRS holds a victory over Tekoa-Rosalia, Wellsandt said he will not underestimate them. While the Lady Broncos have become a better team since that game, Wellsandt is sure the Lady Timberwolves have improved as well.

LRS returns to Gilson Gym on Jan. 27 to face Asotin, who is 2-8 in league and 2-10 overall. The Lady Broncos lost to the Lady Panthers in their inaugural game of the season, 59-47, on Dec. 2.

Wellsandt felt LRS should have not have lost the first game to Asotin and said the team will have to be prepared and ready to play a tough Lady Panthers team in their rematch.

He said the team has four days of practice before the Tekoa-Rosalia game, which he added is a good opportunity for the team to work on different offensive and lay-in drills.