Basketball Teams Make Historic Trip To Scobey

The Broadus basketball teams made the 4 hour drive to Scobey over the weekend to play Lustre/Christian and Scobey.

Activities Director Mike Richards has been researching the history of Broadus basketball, and indicated that this is the first time Broadus has played Lustre Christian, and the first time Broadus has played basketball in Scobey since the 1981-82 season.

These games were scheduled to place Broadus teams up against tough teams early in the season in a "you've gotta play the best to be the best" scenario, and these tough teams showed their might as Broadus lost all the varsity games over the weekend.

The boys fell 78-48 to Lustre Christian on Friday, and 53-34 to Scobey on Saturday. The girls lost 47-28 to Lustre Christian and 49-25 to Scobey.

Boys

The Broadus boys started out well against the Lustre Christian School, located in the hinterlands of Valley County. The small, private school attracts students from many countries, such as the Turks and Caicos Islands, and the Bahamas.

Broadus maintained a lead into the second quarter, when the Hawks found themselves in foul trouble. The Lions were able to capitalize on Broadus' bench players, and began to rain down three point shots to take the lead.

Lustre Christian would continue to score from behind the arc, with two of their players combining to go 10 for 12 on three pointers. Those 30 points from three pointers were the difference makers in the game, as Broadus couldn't regain the momentum from the longrange onslaught, and lost by 30. Interestingly, even when up by over 20 in the 4th quarter, Lustre Christian continued to press.

Cooper Zimmer scored 19 points for Broadus, going 8 for 11 on field goals, while Josh Rasmussen scored ten, including a trio of three pointers. Turnovers were a major factor for Broadus,

Broadus Head boys coach Dustin Lanke told us that the game on Saturday against Scobey featured a disciplined team on both sides of the ball, as they forced Broadus to take less than perfect shots while shooting fairly well on their own.

Scobey went up early in the game and maintained a healthy lead throughout, outscoring Broadus in each quarter to win by nineteen points, 53-34.

Turnovers were a big factor for Broadus in both games, as they lost the ball 17 times against the Lions and 20 times against the Spartans. "We can't turnover the ball that many times and expect to win against good teams," Lanke commented.

Girls

The Lady Hawks maintained a lead until nearly halftime against Lustre Christian, before giving up the lead and falling behind. Broadus was subjected to a full court press the entire game by Lustre Christian, with Broadus having some difficulties sinking their shots, as they went 10 for 34 on two point shots, and only 5 for 14 from the foul line. The Lady Lions shot 16 for 47 and sunk 4 of 9 three point shots to win 47-28.

Broadus Head Coach Kristie Lanke commented on the loss: "A lesson learned from that game is we have to learn to sink more shots. We'll work on some things in practice this week to get people open for better looks."

The Scobey team featured two 6'0" tall girls, while Broadus' tallest player is Zeason Schaffer, listed at 5'10".

Broadus once again had trouble sinking their shots, but overall the team played better on Saturday, according to Lanke.

"Those games showed us where we need to be," Kristie commented. "I'm proud of the girls for staying positive and holding their heads high."

A highlight of the weekend was Emelyn Harper coming off the bench for Broadus in both games and providing a solid role as she learns her spot on the team. Maggie Mader also came off the bench to help out on defense against Scobey, making her presence known against the tall Scobey team.

The Broadus teams now face additional difficult non-conference opponents this weekend, as they host Baker on Friday for the first home games of the season. The Baker boys beat the Miles City varsity squad this season, while the Baker girls feature standout Madison O' Connor, who regularly scored over 30 points per game last season. The Lady Spartans are coached by Broadus Alum Jason Coulter.

On Saturday, the teams travel to Melstone to play the always scrappy Melstone Bronc teams.

Looking around the 4C District, none of the teams have yet played a conference game, and both the girls and boys are tied with Plevna at a 2-2 overall record.