Busy week has mixed results for Broncos basketball

The Lind-Ritzville/Sprague Broncos had a busy four-day stretch as they entered the Christmas break last week, playing two league games and one non-league game in that span.

The results were mixed for the Broncos, going 1-2 with a close league loss to Liberty at home on Dec. 17, a blowout road win against league foe Tekoa-Rosalia on Dec. 20, and a narrow non-league loss to Davenport at home on Dec. 21.

All said, the Broncos sit with an overall record of 4-3 and a league record of 2-1 through the first few weeks of action, with plenty of positive and not-so-positive takeaways for LRS head coach Dustan Arlt.

Against Liberty, the Broncos were going up against one of the Northeast 2B Conference's premier teams this decade. Since the 2016-17 season, when this year's senior class were freshmen, Liberty has a 27-6 record against South Division opponents, including postseason games.

Liberty started last Tuesday's game in complete control, taking a 37-24 lead into halftime and extending that lead to almost 20 points early in the third quarter. But then the Broncos offense ignited and caught fire, staying lit for the rest of the game and nearly fueling an improbable comeback.

LRS outscored Liberty 45-36 in the second half, and cut the deficit to two points with around 10 seconds left to play. It wouldn't be enough, though, as the Lancers converted at the free throw line in the game's waning moments to hang on for the victory.

Junior Drew Kelly led the way for the Broncos, scoring a career-high 28 points in the loss. Senior guards Austin Thompson and Spencer Gering were the other two LRS players in double figures, scoring 15 and 13 points, respectively.

LRS kept up its offensive pace three days later against Tekoa-Rosalia, beating the Timberwolves 68-41 on the road in a dominant league win. The Broncos started hot out of the gates, playing tough defense to take a 31-16 lead into halftime.

It was Kelly again leading the way for the Broncos, scoring 23 points in the blowout victory. Gering had 15 points for the Broncos and senior Cole Cameron had 12 to improve the team's league record to 2-1 overall.

Arlt said it was probably his team's most complete game of the season so far. Offensively, "the boys moved the ball very well and we got quality shots all night from inside and outside," he said in an email to The Journal.

The team returned home to Gilson Gym for its final game before Christmas, hosting the Davenport Gorillas. The Broncos started slow but started to find its groove in the second quarter, outscoring the Gorillas 19-11 to take a 32-29 halftime lead.

LRS entered the fourth quarter with a similar three-point lead, but it would be Davenport whose offense came alive late in the game, hitting a barrage of three-pointers and making its free throws down the stretch to beat the Broncos 66-63.

Arlt called it a disappointing loss for his team, but said he knew Davenport (now 1-4 on the season) was better than their record implied.

"[Davenport] looked like the fresher and hungrier team Saturday night," said Arlt. "We looked a little sluggish and just really struggled on both ends of the court. I was pleased that we kept battling and hung around, but just never played well enough to pull away."

It was Kelly again leading LRS offensively, pouring in 31 points and doing it a variety of ways. He nailed two three-pointers in the game, had success driving to the rim and scored several second-chance baskets after hauling in offensive rebounds.

Kelly's 31 points matched Thompson's 31 points in the team's win against Upper Columbia Academy, which appear to be the most points scored by an LRS player this decade.

The Broncos were without junior Josh McClure in the games against Tekoa-Rosalia and Davenport, with Arlt saying he was out due to an illness. He said the team probably missed his scoring ability and size off of the bench against Davenport, with bench players scoring zero points in the loss to the Gorillas.

Up next, the Broncos travel to Connell on Dec. 28 to take on the Eagles, a 1A opponent. Tip-off for the game is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.