Sports

By Sandy Anderberg

The Lady Broncos are right where they want to be in their final games of the season as they were able to add to their winning season last week.

They defeated Wheeler on the road 64-27 and stopped Quanah cold at 70-22 to stay on top of the district standings.

Three ladies were able to break into double digits in the game with the Lady Stangs with Kashlyn Conkin leading the way with 14. Tandie Cummins put in 12, and Berkley Moore added 11. Despite having three players in double figures, the Lady Broncos struggled as a team to get shots to fall at times. But they were able to play as a team as they have done all year and get the win. A huge second quarter of play on both ends of the court gave the Lady Broncos the momentum they needed to get the job done.

Kenidee Hayes finished with nine, and Kate Shaw put in eight. Kennadie Cummins had seven, and Graci Smith helped with two.
The Lady Broncos were strong against a struggling Quanah team at home and were able to easily put points on the board. They took a commanding lead in the opening quarter of play and held the Lady Indians to only 10 points in the first half. Defensively, the ladies were too much for Quanah and they were not able to execute offensively.

Courtlyn Conkin was back in the rotation, but the Lady Broncos are still playing without Hayden Elam and Presley Smith who are out due to injuries. The Lady Broncos are deep in talent, and they were able to execute the way they wanted on the offensive end of the court.

Hayes put in 15 points hitting two three pointers and making all three bonus points. Smith played strong and added 12 points from the inside and hit two of two free throws. C. Conkin, Moore, Shaw, and K. Conkin all finished with eight points, T. Cummins had seven, and K. Cummins added four.

The Lady Broncos will travel to Shamrock on Tuesday, February 2.

By Sandy Anderberg

The Lady Broncos and the Lady Skyrockets fought it out in their low-scoring district game in Wellington last Friday night. Down to two seconds on the clock with the score tied at 29-29, Clarendon sophomore Kenidee Hayes put it up from behind the half-court line and, along with her teammates, coaches, and fans watched it go in hitting nothing but net to win the game by three.

The win kept the Lady Broncos at the top of the leaderboard in the District 2-2A race at a perfect 5-0 as they put the first half behind them. The ladies are currently 26-1 overall.

Defense was definitely the name of the game for both teams as they each struggled to score as they normally do. The Lady Broncos have been averaging around 63 points a game in district play but were off that mark in the Skyrocket Gym. Wellington is a tough place to play, let alone win, but the ladies impressively pulled together and pulled out the win.

Hayes was the high scorer with nine, Tandie Cummins had seven, and Kate Shaw was strong inside adding six. Kashlyn Conkin and Kennadie Cummins helped with four each, and Graci Smith finished with two.

Earlier in the week, the ladies crushed Shamrock 83-19 at home. The Lady Broncos had an easy time of it as the Lady Irish failed to stop their offense. The Lady Broncos were able to cause several turnovers by the Lady Irish and converted them into points effortlessly.

Four Lady Broncos finished in double figures with sophomore Shaw playing a great game inside. Shaw has played strong under the basket, and she was rewarded with a team high 20 points.

Hayes was on fire as well and finished with 15, T. Cummins poured in 12, and K. Conkin scored 11 that included three three-pointers. Also cleaning up against the Irish was Berkley Moore with nine, G. Smith with eight, and K. Cummins and Presley Smith adding four each.

The ladies will host Quanah at home on Friday, January 26, and travel to Memphis on January 30.

The Broncos are falling into a rhythm and playing team basketball as they continue through the first half of District play. Their latest win came at home at 94-36 over Memphis last Friday night.

Defense wins basketball games, but the Broncos were able to set up a strong offensive attack with all five starters finishing in double figures. Senior Anthony Ceniceros showed his skill from the arc and nailed five three-pointers to post a season high 24 points in the game. He has been strong throughout his high school career for the Broncos.

The Bronco defense was firing on all cylinders and were able to hold the Cyclones to single digits after the first eight minutes and dictate the outcome of the game from the beginning.

Memphis struggled against the Broncos’ hustle and aggressive defensive play.

Joining Ceniceros on the scoreboard was Leyante Prince with 13, Mason Sims with 12, Lyric Smith with 11, and Jaxan McAnear with 10. Levi Gates was strong inside and added eight points to the score, and Reagan Wade had six from good outside shots. Riley Wade and Wes Shaw put in four each, and Kaleb Bolin finished with two.

The Broncos will travel to Wellington January 19 and then to Wheeler January 23 at 8 p.m.

The TABC eighth-ranked Lady Broncos posted two more wins last week to up their overall record to an impressive 21-1.

The ladies are currently at 3-0 in District as they near the end of the first half of their district schedule. Their latest wins over Quanah and Memphis give them a huge edge as they face Wellington on January 19 on the road.

The Lady Broncos fought hard in a low-scoring matchup against the Lady Indians of Quanah but were able to come out on top at 44-27. Kenidee Hayes was solid on offense and led the way with 11 points and converted free throws at 75 percent, and Tandie and Kennadie Cummins came on strong with eight points each. Tandie was two for two from the bonus line.

The Lady Broncos owned the court from the tip-off and were able to pair a solid offense and strong defense to control the rhythm of the game. They were able to grab points when they needed them and use their defensive strengths to hold off Quanah.

Kate Shaw put in five points from her inside position, and Graci Smith and Presley Smith added four each. Courtlyn Conkin and Berkley Moore gave a good effort and finished with two points apiece. Overall, the ladies were 66 percent on bonus shots for the game.

On Friday, the ladies breezed to a huge 73-9 win over the Lady Cyclones of Memphis. It was never a contest for the ladies as they were able to get done what they needed to do going into their final games of the first half of district play.

Moore was on fire and finished atop the leaderboard with 20 points that included four three-pointers. K. Cummins joined Moore in double figures at 15 and was perfect at three from the bonus line. P. Smith put in seven, Shaw added six, and Hayes finished with five. G. Smith, Madi Benson, and Kimbrasia Ballard had four points each, and Kashlyn Conkin, T. Cummins, and

Gracie Ellis helped with two points each.

The Lady Broncos will face off against Wellington on the road January 19.

By Sandy Anderberg

Defense wins games and offense puts the points on the board. The Lady Broncos executed both in their huge win over Wheeler in their district opener at home last Friday night.

Offensively, the ladies pumped in twelve three-pointers from six different players in their 83-31 win. Defensively, the Lady Broncos played outstanding and Graci Smith took an impressive three charges in the game.

The Lady Stangs played a feisty game but struggled to get past the offensive strength of the Lady Broncos. The inside play of sophomore Kate Shaw and senior Smith stopped Wheeler from shooting inside. Shaw finished with four points and shot 50 percent from the bonus line, while Smith shot 50 percent as well and put eight points on the board.

The outside shooting from senior Courtlyn Conkin, sophomores Presley Smith, Berkley Moore, Kenidee Hayes, and Kashlyn Conkin and junior Tandie Cummins was spot on and opened up the Lady Bronco offense. Free throws added to their strong offense as the ladies posted 77 percent from the line. Clarendon led from the tip-off and never looked back as they scored 20 plus points in each quarter of play and stopped Wheeler in their tracks.

C. Conkin and Moore were high scorers with 14 each and Smith added 13. Hayes put in 11 to round out the four players in double figures. K. Conkin finished with nine, G. Smith had eight, Tandie and Kennadie Cummins had five apiece and Shaw had four.

The Lady Broncos will play at home against Memphis on Friday, January 12, at 6:30 p.m. and take on Shamrock at home on January 16.

By Sandy Anderberg

The Broncos are beginning to find a rhythm on the court and were able to get a big win over Nazareth at home on January 5.

The Broncos had a big start and held Naz away from the scoreboard most of the first half of play and finished with the 38-26 win.

The Broncos worked together and built up a nine-point lead after the first eight minutes before opening up a larger lead going into the break. A good offensive presence by the Broncos frustrated the Nazareth defense at times and they were able to put points on the board. Defensively, the Broncos’ solid plan allowed them to cause the Swifts to make turnovers and get off their game. The Broncos were able to capitalize on their opponents’ mistakes and put points on the board.

Senior Anthony Ceniceros stepped up and nailed four three-pointers in his team high 14 points, and Leyante Prince was strong as well as two from the arc and three of five from the bonus line to help with nine. Lyric Smith put in five, and Mason Sims and Jaxan McAnear added three each. Reagan Wade and Wes Shaw finished with two points each.

The Broncos will be open January 9 but will take on Memphis at home on Friday, January 12, and will host Shamrock on January 16 at 8:00 p.m.

By Sandy Anderberg

The Lady Broncos connected as a team and raced through ranked teams over the holidays in the Wildcat Classic basketball tournament held in Littlefield December 27-29.

The ladies began the tournament with a huge win over Pecos at 69-24. They stormed through each quarter of play and controlled every part of the game on both parts of the court from the beginning. The Lady Eagles were helpless in trying to stop the Lady Broncos who hit four three pointers and was led by Kashlyn Conkin with 12 points that included two three-pointers. Right behind Conkin was Kimbrasia Ballard who finished with 10 and Berkley Moore with nine. Presley Smith and Graci Smith had eight points each and Kate Shaw had five.

In the second round, the Lady Broncos took on the fourth ranked Class 4A Lady Loboettes of Levelland and played great ball to defeat them in overtime at 49-40. Kenidee Hayes put in eight of her 10 points in the overtime period going six for six from the bonus line.
The ladies held a two-point lead in the opening quarter but allowed Levelland to get back in the game and overtake the lead by five points at the break.

They were able to make up all but one point of the deficit in the third and nailed a two-pointer to tie the score after regulation. They were able to go to work and turn up the heat defensively in the three extra minutes to get the win.

The win over the 4th ranked team was big and will give the momentum they need going into District play. P. Smith put in 12 points and Hayes added 10. Moore hit two threes for six and Courtlyn Conkin and Tandie Cummins helped with five each.

The Lady Broncos did not let the win hinder their play in the final game against the host team and defeated them 39-32 to win the championship. Solid play allowed the ladies a two-point cushion at the break over the Lady Cats. However, a small comeback attempt in the second half by Littlefield spurred on the Lady Broncos in the final period of play. They stayed determined to get the win. K. Conkin led the way with 10, and P. Smith and Hayes added five each in the low-scoring game.

On December 15, the Lady Broncos went up against Nazareth and squeezed by for the win at 37-30. After holding a three-point advantage at the break, the ladies found a rhythm offensively and were able to put a little distance between themselves and the Lady Swifts. They were able to hold onto that spread for the remainder of the game to get the win. C. Conkin led with eight points and Hayden Elam and G. Smith added five each. P. Smith, T. Cummins, and Shaw finished with four apiece and K. Conkin added one three-pointer. Moore, and K. Cummins put in two points each.

The Lady Bronco JV took on Nazareth as well and were narrowly defeated at 28-32. The game was fairly even throughout with Nazareth holding the slight advantage after a matching score of eight points after the first seven minutes of play. Kimbrasia Ballard put in 11 points to lead the way and Cambree Smith added seven. Jayla Woodard had four, and Madi Benson, Gracie Ellis, and Kinslee Hatley helped with two points each.

Both Lady Bronco teams will open district play at home on January 5 playing at 4 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. They will travel to Quanah on January 9.