Indians get back on track with two wins against conference foes
CUSTER COUNTY - The Class C1 No. 3 Broken Bow girl’s basketball team got a good warmup for the Southwest Conference Tournament this past week, by defeating Gothenburg and Valentine. They defeated the Swedes 41-33 at home on Jan. 19 and then beat the Badgers on the road on Jan. 20 4725.
Early on against Gothenburg Kailyn Scott was able to knock down a jumper off an inbounds pass. After a steal and layup by Joscelyn Coleman, the Indians led 8-3.
Late in the second quarter, the score was tight, as Broken Bow clung to an 18-12 lead.
The Indians started to create some separations with a basket off the glass and a layup off a steal by Kya Scott. A driving contested basket by Kali Staples with under ten seconds in the second quarter gave Broken Bow a 24-12 halftime edge.
The Indians continued to build on the lead in the second half getting up by as much as 17 points over the Swedes before they made a comeback late in the fourth to draw it under ten points.
Kailyn Scott’s rebound and layup off her previous shot and free throws by Kassidy Cyboron and Kali Staples closed the game out.
“I liked that we got pushed there at the end
of that game,” Broken Bow Coach Kelly Cooksley said. “We were up by quite a bit, but they found a way to close that lead down in the last two minutes or so. I like that we got the victory in the game, but I would also like to see us finish the game with a little more consistency.”
Kya Scott led the Indians with 11 points and two rebounds and Kali Staples had nine points, three rebounds, and six assists. As a team Broken Bow shot 36.4 percent from the field and had 16 points off of turnovers.
Against Valentine, the Indians were short-handed due to injury and sickness. Cyboron’s minutes were limited in the post due to an ankle injury and Kailyn Scott missed the game due to illness.
Despite missing some key pieces Broken Bow was able to adapt and take a 14-3 lead at the end of the first. The Badgers flipped the script outscoring the Indians 10-2 in the second and cut the deficit down to three at 16-13 heading into halftime.
After struggling in the second quarter, Broken Bow relied on their defense in the third as they were able to hold Valentine to two points. Thanks to a 15-point outbreak, the Indians doubled-up the Badgers in the third and had a 31-15 lead going to the final frame.
Broken Bow finished the game on a 16-10 run to secure the victory on the road.
“I was happy especially in the second half how we were able to come out and push our lead over 20 points,” Cooksley said. “It’s just one of those places that you know that you are going to have to go there and grind one out.”
A game like this where you have to rely on more players off the bench looks to serve the Indians well heading into the Southwest Conference Tournament this week. Especially with the way the tournament is set up this year due to the snow, with three games in four days.
Leading Broken Bow in scoring was Kya Scott with 14 points and five assists and Staples had nine points and three assists. The Indians finished with a shooting percentage of 28.1 percent in the win.
Broken Bow playedCozad in the Southwest Conference tourney on Jan. 27.