Ponoka’s senior girls and boys Broncs basketball teams had a tough night at home against the Lindsay Thurber Raiders.
Playing Feb. 1, the boys appeared posed for a solid game against the Raiders with several important three-pointers at the outset of the game.
That intensity put the Raiders ill at ease and the team’s coach made some key changes to the line up to find some balance.
At one point the Broncs were up 12-0.
“We were just playing well at the start,” said coach Scott Brown. “But (with) the pressure from the defense, and fatigue, we ended up making mental mistakes that cost us the game.”
The Broncs ended up losing by 11 with a 70-59 score.
It was in the second quarter that the Broncs started to lose ground, and the Raiders, who are not ranked in the league, seemed to wake up.
“The biggest challenge in that game was the pressure put on us by the Thurber full court press,” said Brown.
That full court press created unforced errors and scoring opportunities for the Raiders.
“The shots were falling at the start and shooting is always nice but I would like us to focus on getting the ball inside, and trips to the free throw line,” said Brown of his goal for the rest of the season.
The Broncs’ last home game is Feb. 6 (tonight) with the rest of the season being played out of town.
Girls lose big but celebrate past tournament success
For the girls the loss was a tough one with the 2A home team struggling against the 4A Raiders.
But for coach Cam Horan there were other reasons to celebrate. He pointed out that the weekend before the girls had a strong performance at an away tournament.
Held in Okotoks against other 2A teams, it was a better match-up for the girls, said Horan. While the team lost their games, the point spread was a lot closer.
“It was one of those weekends where it seemed like things were turning a bit,” he explained.
Regular season is just past the halfway mark and Horan looks forward to some upcoming tournaments.
