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PSC senior Bronc boys quell Lightning strike

The Ponoka Secondary Campus senior boys Broncs basketball team took the bull by the horns and soundly defeated
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PSC Broncs player Lindsey Gartner attempts a shot against Hunting Hills High School Lightning players Tuesday

The Ponoka Secondary Campus senior boys Broncs basketball team took the bull by the horns and soundly defeated Hunting Hills High School Lightning last week.

Both senior girls and boys played at home Tuesday, Feb. 3 with the senior boys winning their game 76-32. At the outset of the game the Lightning boys decided to play outside the perimeter hoping to capitalize on three-pointers.

Had their shots made their mark, they would have forced the Broncs to change their strategy, but as it was, the Broncs had full command of the ball, and the court.

“We didn't really change our defensive approach throughout the game as they weren't hitting a high percentage of deep balls. We just maintained our normal defense,” explained coach Blaine Haines.

The boys were doing so well in the first quarter on both offense and defence that they started to lose a little focus in the second. “We maintained the defensive intensity in the second quarter, but lost our focus on offense. Stopped doing the things that got us the lead,” explained Haines.

He said the Broncs recaptured their focus after half time, which led to an impressive win against the Lightning. At press time the senior boy Broncs were 5-1 in the league.

Senior girl Broncs

The senior girl Broncs trailed most of the game against the Lightning girls and they eventually lost by a close 47-42.

Their offense started slow against Hunting Hills, which placed them in a defensive position for the rest of the game, explained coach Adam Troitsky. Despite trailing, the Broncs managed to keep the deficit to four points at the end of the half. After the break, however, the Lightning changed their strategy.

“They switched at half time to man-to-man, which was a challenge for us to adjust,” said Troitsky. “They put a lot of pressure on us.”

At one point in the third quarter, Ponoka girls trailed by 11 points against the Lightning. Troitsky said their biggest challenge was managing heavy pressure from Hunting Hills players. “That’s where we turned the ball over in the second half.”

“If we don’t turn the ball over, we do really well,” he added.

Both teams play at home for the next few weeks with their last home game on Feb. 24.