Basketball teams host weekend games

Boys

The Broadus Hawk boys team traveled to Ekalaka last Tuesday. In their previous meeting here in Broadus, Ekalaka's star player, 6'4" Mick O' Connor, was out for the game. O' Connor was back in action on Tuesday, and he made sure his presence was known against the Hawks, accounting for 26 points, 13 rebounds, and 5 blocks.

Between O' Connor's presense, and the Hawk's lack of good shooting (26% from the field), Ekalaka was able to pull away early and stay ahead throughout the game, eventually beating Broadus 58-41.

"We shot flat," Broadus Head Coach Mike Richards said of the game.

Broadus then faced Class B St. Labre at home, on Friday.

"We had great energy," Richards commented. By all accounts, the crowd felt the energy as well, and an exciting game transpired, despite the final score, which had the Hawks falling by 15, 76-61. That loss stands in sharp contrast to the early season loss in St. Labre, where St. Labre beat Broadus 101-46.

"We got beat in the game Friday, but I'm really pleased with the guys' performance," commented Richards. "We continue to give up offensive rebounds, and because of that we gave up a lot of second chance points against Labre."

He continued: "Overall, I think it was one of our best games of the year, despite the loss. There was tons of energy from the crowd, and it was a fun night. We tied St. Labre in the second half, with 29 points a piece."

Clay LaPlant had a great game, with 17 points, 6 assists, and 11 rebounds for the Hawks, while Johnny Richards had 14 points, 3 assists, and 6 rebounds.

Broadus then hosted NCTS, or Northern Cheyenne Tribal School (Busby), on Saturday night. Busby kept the Hawks close through the first quarter, but from then on it was all Broadus, as the Hawks soundly won, 71-34.

"We attacked the basket, and had a good night of shooting," Richards beamed as he described the game. A highlight of stats for Broadus was a 64% free throw percentage on the evening, which is an decided improvement over previous games, and especially over previous years for the Hawks – Richards noted that over the past few years, the Hawks have averaged around 50% from the free throw line.

Clay LaPlant had another solid performance, with 13 points, going 5-7 from the field, also turning in 4 rebounds and 3 steals. Beau Kuhbacher had 15 points, 3 rebounds, and 4 steals.

With the conference loss to Ekalaka and win against NCTS, Broadus will likely end up somewhere around 5th in the conference, though a chance still exists for 4th, depending on their fate in the coming games.

Broadus hosts Custer/Hysham, this Thursday, with Varsity games only to be played, beginning at 5:30 PM.

The Hawks will then travel to Jordan on Friday, where 4 games will be played, beginning at 2:30 PM.

Girls

The Lady Hawks played two games over the week, hosting St. Labre on Friday, and NCTS on Saturday. St. Labre's girls team is exceptionally tough, currently ranked sixth in the state in Class B, according to Broadus Coach Kacey Stanley.

This meant the Lady Hawks had quite the challenge on their hands.

"We were able to shut down their big girls for much of the game, so I'd consider that a success," Stanley said of the game. "Unfortunately, we let it get away from us."

Stanley said that Broadus stayed close through the first quarter, trailing 12-5. In the 3rd quarter, Broadus star Kiarah Coulter sprained her ankle, taking her out for not only the rest of the game, but for the entire weekend and for some time in the future.

With the loss of a key player, Broadus could not recover, eventually falling 18-65 to St. Labre.

On Saturday, the Lady Hawks had to rearrange some players to compensate for the loss of Coulter, meaning several different looks at point guard, and Lucinda Cain starting the game.

"NCTS is a very beatable team, but we had troubles with the new arrangements, and they took advantage of the situation," Stanley commented.

Broadus fell 30-50 to NCTS. Ashley Bilbrey had a standout performance for the Lady Hawks, with 9 points, 2 rebounds, and 4 steals.

This week, the Lady Hawks will hone their game plan in practice, before hosting Custer/Hysham this Thursday in Broadus, traveling to Jordan on Friday, then Melstone and Terry next weekend.

Jordan currently holds a similar record to the Lady Hawks, so that could prove to be a good game. The Lady Hawks lost a close game to Custer/ Hysham last time around, so that could be an interesting watch to see who comes out ahead. Broadus currently sits 6th in the conference. Click on the following link to check out game stats:https://www.powderriverexaminer.com/home/customer_files/stats/bballstats-7.pdf