Basketball Teams Win At Plevna, At Home Against Wibaux

The boys and girls varsity basketball teams each went 2-0 last week, as they won at Plevna and handled Wibaux in the first home games in Broadus.

Boys

With aspirations for a return to the state tournament firmly in the plans, Broadus boys coach Mike Richards told us in an interview Monday that even though Broadus currently sits at 3-0 in conference play, they need to tighten up their game if they want to truly compete and win at that advanced level. "We need to clean up our game, as we looked sloppy on the court a few times this weekend," he told us.

The boys handily won both games, 77-24 at Plevna and 59-35 against Wibaux. Richards has found himself in a tricky situation, balancing playing time for starters and bench players while trying not to absolutely blow out other teams, and still trying to challenge his own team. At Plevna, the bench players played more minutes than the starters, and Broadus refrained from pressing while on defense for the entire game, and still won by 52 points.

While there are certainly worse problems to have as a coach, the predicament lies in finding that balance where the team is ready when it comes time to play Melstone (currently 2-0 in conference play and 3-1 overall, having fallen to Roy/Winifred 61-49 earlier this month), or other higher caliber teams.

Richards commented: "We're going to get our starters more steady playing time in coming games. It's a balancing act but we really need to have our starters ready for a challenge."

At Plevna, Broadus had an impressive 22 assists on the night; Richards noted that the Broadus school record for assists in one game is 26, so the Hawks were nipping at a record at Plevna.

"We had a good night at Plevna," he said. "We pushed the ball well in transition, and performed the give and go well."

Broadus jumped to a monstrous 33-6 lead after the first quarter, and led 55-15 at the half, finishing the game up 77-24. The Hawks scored 1.14 points per possession, and had 28 points off turnovers.

The Gee brothers led the team in scoring at Plevna; Dillon had 17 points and Wyatt had 13, in ten minutes of play a piece – less than a third of the game per player.

The Hawks opened up at home against Wibaux on Saturday, jumping out to a 17-4 lead after one, and a 36-10 lead at the half. A rotation of bench players in the second half meant Wibaux was able to regain some points, but the Hawks still won easily with a score of 59-35.

The Hawks had 35 rebounds and 5 blocks against Wibaux, with three blocks from Dillon Gee and two from Tytan Hanson. Wyatt Gee led the Hawks in scoring with 13 points, two of which came in a spectacular dunk in the first half. Wyatt also had four steals on the night.

Marcus Mader, out against Plevna with sickness, returned to the Hawks lineup on Saturday.

Broadus faced Class B St. Labre at home on Tuesday, which occurred after this article was written and sent to print. We will have details on that game when we return the first week in January.

In a change of schedule, Broadus will now face Melstone in Broadus on Thursday, January 6th, as opposed to the originally scheduled game in Melstone on the 8th. With the MSU Bobcats playing the National Championship College Football game in Frisco, Texas on the 8th, Melstone Coach Jason Grebe will be in attendance, watching his son Brode play for the Cats. Brode, a standout high school star in multiple sports, plays defensive end for MSU.

Girls

The Lady Hawks had a great weekend of games, going 2-0 on Friday and Saturday in conference play against Plevna and Wibaux.

"When we go into these games knowing we have an edge, we play a lot more assertively and know we can compete," Broadus girls coach Ashley Emmons commented during a Monday interview.

The Lady Hawks did indeed look confident on the court this weekend. On Friday against Plevna, Broadus led 14-12 after the first quarter and 24-16 after two before pulling away in the second half. Plevna was no match for the Lady Hawks in the second half, as Broadus won 55-32.

The Krantz sisters led the Lady Hawks in scoring at Plevna; Abi downed 14 points, and Aspen had 11.

Plevna features a young team with only seven athletes, but Emmons told us the Plevna coach has made great strides in cementing the fundamentals in the team, and they will be a team to watch out for in the future.

The Lady Hawks hosted Wibaux on Saturday, with the Lady Hawks jumping out to another early lead, 12-6 after the first quarter. In the second and third quarters Wibaux pulled to within striking distance of Broadus but was never quite able to make their move – after the third quarter Broadus was still up 23-21. In the fourth quarter, the Lady Hawks were able to pull ahead to win, 34-26.

"We played strong and confident against Wibaux," Emmons spoke. "Wibaux is always competitive and it was encouraging to see our ability to keep our momentum throughout the game."

Abi Krantz once again led the Lady Hawks in scoring against Wibaux, with 10 points on the night, including a last second shot at the buzzer to end the first quarter.

The Lady Hawks also hosted St. Labre on Tuesday, and will go into the break looking to "make the little things into habits", as Emmons described her plan for practice. She described her philosophy: "When you do the little things right every time, everything falls into place."

Full game stats from the Plevna and Wibaux girls games were not available at press time; we will print them when available.

The Lady Hawks currently sit third in the conference with a 2-1 record. Melstone is in second at 2-0, and Jordan leads the conference at 3-0.