Broncos 'exceed expectations' in season's opening weekend

LRS boys basketball head coach Dustan Arlt said his team exceeded his expectations in almost every facet of the game in the 2019-20 season's opening weekend, as his team went 2-0 to start a season for the first time since 2013-14.

The Broncos took to the road and dispatched the Columbia-Burbank Coyotes 51-38 in the first game of the season on Dec. 6, and then beat the Riverside Rams--a 1A school--at Gilson Gym 51-42 the next day in the team's home opener.

"After last year being tough and ending kind of tough, it was good for these kids to get the confidence knowing that some of the things we've been doing and talking about can translate into wins," said Arlt. "Just the overall effort and teamwork and how unselfish [the team was]. Everyone's pitching in and moving the ball and playing unselfish and filling their roles."

LRS was led offensively by senior guard Spencer Gering in both games. Gering finished with a team-high 12 points on 3-8 three-point shooting in the victory over the Coyotes and 14 points on 3-8 three-point shooting in the win over the Rams.

Arlt was pleased by his team's offensive balance in both of the games. Five players scored at least 7 points in the team's win against Columbia-Burbank, including 10-point performances from seniors Austin Thompson and Cole Cameron. Juniors Drew Kelly and Josh McClure scored 9 and 7 points in the game, respectively. In the win against Riverside, five players scored at least 6 points.

McClure, standing at 6 feet 6 inches tall, contributed substantially in his first two games of significant varsity playing time, also scoring 9 points on 3-5 three-point shooting in the win against Riverside. Arlt said McClure's ability to score on the perimeter will probably surprise many of the teams they play this season.

"Josh was a JV player last season, so teams aren't going to know about him as much, especially when we get to league play," said Arlt. "The first time around he's probably going to catch some people [off-guard], the second time around they'll probably know a little bit more. You don't expect to see a big kid like that to have that nice of a shot, and he really does have a nice shot."

McClure and Kelly's length also played a factor on the defensive end, as they combined for 17 total blocks in the two games. Kelly had 7 blocks alone in the team's win against Riverside. Arlt deployed the 2-3 zone at times in the team's opening two games, which he said was more effective than he thought it would be.

[McClure and Kelly] can control that middle with their length and alter shots, so it allows our wings and guards to cheat out to the three-point line more," said Arlt. "So we can still play an effective 2-3 zone against perimeter-oriented teams."

If there was something for LRS to work on cleaning up as the season moves on, it's free throw shooting. The team was a combined 20-38 (52.6%) from the charity stripe in the first two games. It's something Arlt says he's been trying to improve on his team for several years.

But even the team's performance at the free throw line had nuggets of good news, Arlt pointed out. The team's 38 attempted and 20 made free throws in the two games were much higher than that of their opponents, who combined for a total of 21 attempted and just 8 made free throws in the games against the Broncos.

The Broncos traveled to Oakesdale to take on the Oakesdale Nighthawks on Dec. 10. The Journal will have coverage of that game and the team's league opener against Upper Columbia Academy on Dec. 12 at Gilson Gym in next week's issue.