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Broncs boys end regular season with emphatic win

There were emotional scenes at the Christian School Gym on Tuesday, Feb. 25, when PSC Senior Broncs basketball teams hosted
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Tavis Lee rises for lay up against Lindsay Thurber Raiders in the Broncs’ last regular season home game on Tuesday

There were emotional scenes at the Christian School Gym on Tuesday, Feb. 25, when PSC Senior Broncs basketball teams hosted Lindsay Thurber Raiders of Red Deer for the last home game of the regular season.

Senior boys’ coach Blaine Haines paid tribute to the graduating senior players Jared Nicolls, Davis Labrie, Brandt Seibel and Ethan Minde and two managers of the team Allie Bolton and Lindsay Wass before the beginning of the senior boys’ game.

With a trembling voice, coach Haines told the spectators how each of the players had grown from boys to young men and how they had built bonds of affection, respect and solidarity through the years with the team, wishing them well in their endeavours.

Then came the game, which turned out to be a worthy demonstration of the confidence placed in the boys by their coach.

In the first few minutes of the first period, both teams tried to impose their game plan to the opposition but it was the Broncs who gained the upper hand with a 9-0 run in the last few minutes of the period, ending it 21-13.

The second period saw a vivid defensive effort by the visiting Raiders choking the Broncs offense.  By the 8th minute of the second period, the Raiders had tied the game 28-28, forcing coach Blaines to call a time-out, which helped PSC boys to quickly regroup and reestablish a 4-point lead, ending the first half at 32-28.

Broncs continued to keep sticking to coach’s instructions in the third period and, despite a few avoidable turnovers, with the help of two steals and three 3-pointers by Jared Nicolls, quickly opened up the lead to double digits and kept it that way, ending the third period at 58-47.

The last period saw the visiting Raiders fall further behind as the Broncs increased their production of score with efficient ball movement and strong rebounding on both sides of the court. When the final buzzer went off, the scoreboard showed a well-deserved 80-61 win for the Ponoka boys.

“It turned out to be a great senior farewell,“ said coach Haines after the game.

“I am glad the boys were able to pull out a win for our graduating players.”

Commenting on the team’s performance, Haines praised his players for their consistency “which is huge this time of year as we move into playoff time.”

In the game between senior Broncs girls and Raiders played before the boys’ game, the visitors established an early lead and opened it up throughout the game to finish it at 83-40. Although the PSC senior girls appeared to have improved their ball movement and dribbling skills a lot, Raiders proved irrepressible as their perimeter shooting and rebounding skills left little room for Ponoka girls to close the gap on the scoreboard.

“I thought the girls played strong and hard throughout the first half of the game but we just couldn't deliver what needed to be done throughout the second half,” said Sydni Seibel, girls’ head coach.

She sounded optimistic for the next season when her players will have grown from rookies to experienced athletes.

“Next year, I will have all returning players and we will be faster and stronger and ready to match up against anyone,” she said.

“We may be the "underdog" team, but my girls always show up ready to work hard and put what we have learned to use on the court.”!