Broncbusters roll to ninth straight victory

By Mike Pilosof

Photo by Connor Pilosof

Colby, KS-Less than 24 hours after one of the most emotional wins in recent memory, Head Coach Bill Morosco had a problem: how in the world was his team supposed to avoid a letdown?

"I have no idea," Morosco said following Friday night's victory. "I've never experienced something like that before."

Garden City's improbable win over Colby stretched their winning streak to eight games. But it further complicated things with the same two teams playing a late afternoon tilt the following day.   

But if emotional fatigue was a factor, Morosco's team certainly didn't show it.

Tone Hunter and Micah Octave combined for 40 points, Heru Bligen chipped in 14, and the Broncbusters won their ninth straight game with a 98-89 victory over Colby Saturday afternoon at the Events Center. Garden City improved to 17-5 overall and 11-5 in conference.

"I am proud of how our guys played considering the short turnaround time," Morosco explained. "The beginning of shootaround today was not great, but we finished strong."

The Broncbusters led for most of the afternoon, drilling a season-high 12 3-pointers en route to a season sweep of the Trojans. They outrebounded Colby 45-44 and scored 22 points off 22 Trojan turnovers.

"The press wears on you after a while," Morosco said. "But we still have to clean some things up."

The Broncbusters had a chance to put this one away early. June Lewis converted a four-point play, Hunter scored eight straight points including back-to-back triples, and Garden City was up 23-11 on the heels of a 15-5 run. But Colby responded with a 30-17 surge, capped by Tyrone Marshall's jumper that gave the home team a one-point edge going into the locker room.

"I think we got a little complacent in the first half," Morosco admitted. "That's human nature."

After Cortez Mosley's three-point play gave Colby a 51-48 edge two minutes into the second half, the Broncbusters turned up the pressure. Jyre McCloud sank two free throws, Octave rattled home a pair of midrange jumpers off consecutive Colby turnovers, and Bligen split the defense with a line-drive runner for a 60-54 advantage. They pushed that to nine moments later when Josh Nwankwo canned a trey from the wing.

"This was a good test for our guys because this is the nature of how it will feel if you get a chance to play in the Regional and National Tournament," Morosco said. "You have to play on consecutive days."

Colby managed to keep it close, pulling to within a single possession a couple of times down the stretch. But Garden City answered each rally. Octave swished a 3-pointer, and Bligen hit a tough turnaround shot from just right of the lane. Then, with their lead down to three in the final minute, the Broncbusters put the game away, knocking down six clutch free throws.

Hunter finished 6-of-12 from the field in 35 minutes for Garden City, which pulled within a single game of second-place Hutchinson. Nwankwo tallied 16 points and went 4-of-5 from deep while McCloud added 10 points and six rebounds.

Mosley, who was ejected in the final minute, scored 26 points to pace the Trojans. Ahmad Johnson drained six 3's and finished with 24 points.

Next up: Garden City vs. Dodge City-Wednesday, Feb. 2-7:30 p.m. CDT