Broncbusters fall in conference opener
By Mike Pilosof
Concordia, KS-A massively slow start put the Broncbusters behind the eight ball on Wednesday night.
Cassidy Haufler scored 18 points, Cloud County shot 60 percent from the floor, and the Thunderbirds roared to a 97-66 victory over Garden City at Arley Bryant Gymnasium.
"We had a game plan, and nobody followed it," Broncbusters Coach Charinee Mitchell said.
That scouting report dissipated early when the Thunderbirds used a 19-0, first-quarter run, turning a tie game into a runaway. Garden City failed to score for nearly six minutes, and when Scout Frame hit two free throws with 25 seconds to play in the period, Cloud County had a 27-8 advantage.
"Those are the things we should have been ready for," Mitchell said. "When you don't execute, that's what happens."
The Thunderbirds built a 44-22 advantage at half, and led by as many as 32 points in the fourth quarter. Garden City was just 4-of-21 from 3 and had just eight assists on their 23 made buckets. They turned it over 23 times, which led to 30 Cloud County points.
Emmiley Hendrixson scored 17 points in 31 minutes off the bench for the Thunderbirds, who won the game despite missing 10 free throws. Kamryn Collins added 15, Frame had 13, and Destiny Pittman chipped in 10.
Alyssa Boyce and Talia Roberts paced the Broncbusters with 36 points. But besides Boyce, who shot 7-of-14, the rest of the team was a combined 16-of-49 (33 percent).
Next up: Garden City vs. Allen County-Saturday, Dec. 1-1:45 p.m. pregame; 2 p.m. tip on 99.9 FM; westernkansasnews.com/kwkr and KWKR mobile app