Lady Hawks finish out their season at District Tourney

The Broadus Lady Hawks finished up their season last weekend at the 4C District Tournament in Miles City, with losses to Ekalaka and Custer-Hysham.

The girls went into the tournament with a 6-9 season record, finishing the regular season 6th in the standings. This meant the Broadus team faced number three ranked Ekalaka – a quick team which have proven themselves to be difficult to beat. The young Broadus team, perhaps feeling the pressure from being under the gaze of the throngs of tournament attendees, started the game out flat.

"For many of the girls on our team, this was their first time at a tournament," Broadus Coach Kacey Stanley commented during a Tuesday phone call. "It's hard to hear out on the floor with all the noise, and the large crowd adds to the pressure."

The Lady Hawks scored 2 points in the first quarter to Ekalaka's 14, and this was much the story throughout the game, as Broadus scored single digits per quarter. Broadus would lose the game, 20-51. Ekalaka went on to take second place in the District Tournament, falling in the championship to Melstone, courtesy of Draya Wacker's 44 point performance.

Abi Krantz led the Lady Hawks in scoring against Ekalaka, with 6 points, also adding 3 blocks.

The Lady Hawks shot 8 for 11 from the free throw line, a bright spot in the game.

Broadus next faced Custer-Hysham on Friday, a team which they had split games with in regular season meetings.

Broadus was able to keep its turnovers down, which initially helped to keep the score close.

Unfortunately for the Lady Hawks, their free throws didn't fall at near the rate of the Ekalaka game, only adding to the score in 11 of 31 shots.

The score fluctuated back and forth during the game but remained close, with Broadus down 27-28 mid-way through the 4th quarter. Broadus got into foul trouble early, with Custer-Hysham scoring most of their first half points on free throws. In the closing minutes of the game, Custer-Hysham was able to pull ahead when the Lady Hawk fouls sent a number of their players to the bench. Final score: Lady Rebels 45, Lady Hawks 34.

Oliveah Schaffer scored 13 points and had 8 rebounds on the evening, while Abi Krantz had 8 points and 7 rebounds.

Though the Lady Hawk season has come to a close, the team's future looks bright. This season Broadus had one of the youngest teams in the conference. With no seniors or juniors on the team, the starting five consisted of sophomores and freshmen, with a number of eighth grade girls waiting in the wings. That means the Lady Hawks are gaining massive amounts of varsity experience at a young age, and that experience will hopefully translate into more and more wins in future seasons.

In the meantime, the Lady Hawks will take the offseason to work on their game. Stanley says her goal is to get the team to some tournaments and camps over the summer. "The girls need to put in that time on the court, in order to improve," she said.

Stanley continued: "I'm proud of the team. They worked hard this season, but they need to continue to work hard and improve."

Here are the Broadus game stats:

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