Broncos playing well at the right time
Lind-Ritzville/Sprague sophomore Jayce Kelly, center left, hit a “huge” three-pointer against Okanogan in the 2B District 6/7 Crossover that helped the Broncos advance to state, Head Coach Dustan Arlt said.
IAN BIVONA/COLUMBIA BASIN HERALD
Lind-Ritzville/Sprague senior Chase Galbreath attempts a jump shot against Davenport during a game on Jan. 14. The Broncos earned a No. 9 seed in this year’s 2B State Basketball Tournament.
RITZVILLE – After winning 10 of their final 12 games, the Lind-Ritzville/Sprague Broncos advanced to state with a 50-48 win over Okanogan in the 2B District 6/7 Crossover.
“Very happy for them to get the job done,” LRS Head Coach Dustan Arlt said. “Overcame some ups and downs throughout the year and some close losses. Started playing really well the last week of the season and it’s continued through districts and playoffs.”
Arlt said the Broncos had been clicking as a collective unit since the end of January, beginning with a 64-54 win over Colfax at home on Jan. 27.
“The Colfax game at the end of January at home, we probably played our best game of the year,” Arlt said. “Changed some things up, some guys playing a little bit different roles. It worked that night and that weekend, and we’ve stuck with that. Our bench guys are giving us great minutes, coming in and giving us a spark on defense and offense.”
Opening the Northeast 2B League tournament with a 54-40 win over St. George’s, LRS fell to Davenport 62-43 in the semifinals and dropped to the consolation bracket. Davenport is the No. 1 seed in the 2B State Basketball Tournament.
The Broncos rallied by first taking down Reardan 54-38 in the consolation semifinals and then defeating St. George’s again, this time a 64-46 win in the consolation finals. The win moved LRS into the District 6/7 Crossover and into “a better matchup” against Okanogan.
“Beating St. George’s twice in a week by double-digits, that’s great any year you can do that,” Arlt said. “They’re a great program.”
Against the Bulldogs, a slow start in the first half was the result of having a full week off for the first time since the holiday break, according to Arlt.
“They slowed us down a little bit, and all of a sudden we’re down 11 going into halftime,” Arlt said. “But, we came out with a lot of fire and got all of that back. We even took a quick lead at one time in the third quarter.”
Key buckets by senior Chase Galbreath and sophomore Jayce Kelly allowed the Broncos to take a late lead, eventually riding out to a 50-48 win to advance to the 2B State Tournament.
“They knocked us out in football, and it’s a lot of the same kids on our team,” Arlt said. “I was glad for our kids to get a little revenge there too because it ended kind of tough in football.”
A No. 9 seed was given to LRS in the state tournament, setting them up in a loser-out game against No. 16 seed Dayton-Waitsburg in the regional round. The Wolfpack enter the state playoffs with a 13-7 record, having won the Eastern Washington Athletic Conference’s consolation bracket with a 48-42 win over the 20-4 Cle Elum-Roslyn Warriors.
“They’ve got a lot of guards, and a lot of guys that can shoot from the outside,” Arlt said. “That’s their deal. We match up pretty well, we’ve got size. It’s going to be a tough matchup for them with some of our guys. We’ve just got to keep playing well, and looking to move on to the arena.”
The Broncos and Wolfpack tip off at 12 p.m. at Cheney High School.
Ian Bivona can be reached via email at ibivona@columbiabasinherald.com,
