Broncos use strong fourth quarter to overwhelm Adna

SPOKANE — A six-point lead going into the fourth quarter turned into a 15-point win over Adna for the Lind-Ritzville Broncos in the Round of 12 in the 2B Boys State Basketball Tournament.

The Broncos outscored the Pirates 17-8 in the fourth quarter, using their depth to keep fresh legs late in the fourth quarter.

“That’s kind of what we’ve done to teams lately,” LRS Head Coach Dustan Arlt said. “It seems like they’ve worn out, we’ve got a lot more depth. Picking teams up full-court. At the beginning of the season fourth quarters weren’t always our strong point, but since these 10 or 11 games we’ve been playing four-quarter games and not falling off in the second half.”

Sophomore Jayce Kelly finished with 24 points, including converting three of six three-pointers. Senior Hunter Dinkins also finished three of six from three, scoring 11 points in the win. Senior Chase Galbreath scored 14 points in the win.

“We all push to thrive, and push each other to do better,” Kelly said. “If one of us are doing good, we’re cheering on the next one to keep shooting and do better. We know everyone can do what we all can do.”

The Pirates and Broncos exchanged the lead 10 times in the game, including six times during the third quarter. Once LRS took a 37-36 lead midway through the third, they never let it go.

LRS stifled its defense in the latter half of the third quarter and went on an 8-0 run to increase its lead, with three-pointers by Kelly and junior Brock Kinch.

“It was just moving the ball quickly and getting down the court,” Kelly said. “That helped us a lot. Like last game, bringing the intensity and making sure we’re pushing the ball – there’s some plays we have where were able to push the ball down the court, and that helped us get the lead.”

With the Broncos in the bonus, they were able to hit free throws that iced the game away and staved off any Adna comeback attempts.

“Rebounding toward the end of the game helped us push the ball more,” Kelly said. “That’s what really helped us bring it through.”

Kelly started the game with a strong drive to the basket, the first two of his 10 first-half points. The Broncos and Pirates found themselves tied at the end of the first eight minutes, and Kinch put the lead back in favor of LRS with a three-pointer to open the second quarter.

The final two minutes of the first half saw the lead change four times, with the Broncos taking a 26-25 lead into halftime.

“They played great, they played tough,” Arlt said. “We knew Adna was probably going to play some zone, and we hadn’t seen that a whole lot lately. We’ve got the shooters to (succeed). Sometimes we’re not as consistent as I’d like, but we’ve got more than enough capable guys to do it.”

The Broncos also won their Round of 12 matchup the last time they made it to state (2016). They placed fifth that year.

“So happy for these kids and our community,” Arlt said. “Going against Adna, I knew it was going to be a tough game. They’re very similar to us: guard-oriented, same style on offense as we do.”

The Broncos moved on to face Morton-White Pass at 2 p.m. on Thursday in the Spokane Arena. The Timberwolves enter the state tournament with a 21-3 record and hold the No. 2 seed.

“We’re playing Morton-White Pass,” Arlt said. “Very different team; they’re huge and have a little bit smaller guards than Adna. They’re quick, probably the best team from the west side.”

Ian Bivona can be reached via email at ibivona@columbiabasinherald.com.

Box Score

LRS 14-12-18-17 61

Adna 14-11-13-8 46