Broadus Basketball teams travel to Lewistown for season opener

The Broadus Hawks and Lady Hawks traveled to the Lewistown Tournament this past weekend, for their first games of the season. The first Varsity Boys game, originally scheduled for December 1 against Jordan, was postponed until January 15th due to poor winter weather.

The late season start seemed to have some effect on both the Girls and Boys teams in their first games. Their first opponents in Lewistown – Geraldine/Highwood, had already played three games this season, and had taken off that initial edge which sometimes plagues a team in their opening game.

Boys

Broadus Boys Coach Mike Richards noted the first game jitters, as Broadus turned the ball over on their first five possessions. After those errors, the Hawks recovered and led after the first quarter, 9-8.

"The second quarter was tough on us," Richards commented. "We missed some shots, and got behind." The Hawks would trail 25-17 going into halftime, and though they kept the same pace through the second half, that 8 point margin could not be overcome. The Hawk Boys would fall to the Geraldine/Highwood co-op school, 46-54.

"We got beat on the offensive boards," Richards said. "Though overall, I'm really pleased with the team's performance. Notable standouts for the Hawks included Kashus Giacometto, with 15 points and 12 rebounds, and Tayden Gee, with 11 points and 11 rebounds.

The Hawks did not have any issues with rebounds on Saturday, against Shields Valley (Clyde Park). Richards noted that Shields Valley was a young team, but they were quite athletic. Still, the big strong Broadus players were able to dominate the boards, and the Hawks took better care of the basketball in their second game.

The Broadus Boys would soundly beat Shields Valley, 56-42.

Richards spoke of the team's win: "We had a good game. Beau Kuhbacher came alive from behind the three point line, sinking five 3's." Kuhbacher would score 19 points on the night. Richards went on: "Kashus dominated inside, with 13 points and 19 rebounds. Tayden also brought down 15 rebounds, and contributed 9 points. Clay LaPlant was a great leader – against Shields Valley and Geraldine/Highwood, and made some great decisions for us. He had 6 points, 6 assists, and 7 rebounds, and most importantly only had one turnover."

The Broadus JV played Plevna on Tuesday (past our deadline). The Hawks will travel to Wibaux on Saturday, which is expected to be a very tough conference game. Richards said that most of Wibaux's starters returned this season, they finished second last year in the conference behind Melstone.

Girls

The Broadus Girls would face the same teams in Lewistown as the Boys, though a series of injuries to two of their team's top athletes would create some issues for the young team. Coulter injured her hand, putting her out for an indeterminate amount of time, and Ashley Bilbrey hurt her leg, but is expected to return this weekend.

Girls Head Coach Kacey Stanley said she was thrilled with their first game. "The 8th and 9th graders really stepped up. For many this was their first Varsity game, so they were nervous at first, but they really seemed to handle the pressure well."

Coulter made 14 points against Geraldine/Highwood, with 8th grader Abi Krantz contributing 8 points. Lacey Robinson led the team in rebounds, with 6.

Unfortunately for the Lady Hawks, Geraldine/Highwood put up more points, beating the Lady Hawks 46-31.

In the second game, the injuries had a significant effect on the Lady Hawk scoring – Broadus would lose to Shields Valley 17-42. Kylee Drane made 6 points and 6 rebounds, while Lacey Robinson had 8 rebounds, and 3 points.

The Lady Hawks played in their first conference game this Tuesday, and will travel to Wibaux on Saturday. Wibaux is expected to be a tough game on the Girls side, along with the Boys.