Broncbusters fall to Cloud County at home

By Mike Pilosof

Photo by Adam Shrimplin

Garden City, KS-There is a common theme to Garden City's four losses this season: poor shooting, and it haunted them again on Saturday.

The Broncbusters shot just 28 percent from the field, Te araroa Sopoaga scored 17 points, and Cloud County knocked off Garden City, 63-58 at Conestoga Arena. Garden City dropped to 0-3 this season when shooting less than 30 percent and to 10-4 overall.

Garden City struggled all afternoon. They missed 11 of their first 15 shots from the field yet trailed by only one after the first. But in the second, the Broncbusters went ice cold. Garden City went more than seven minutes without a field goal, and by the time Payton Hicks converted a layup with seven seconds to go, the home team was down 30-21 at the break.

The Thunderbirds extended that cushion to 13 three minutes into the third following Kennedy Becker's bucket inside the paint. That's when Scales' squad made their push. Kealani Neves drained a 3-pointer from the wing, and Donetria McGee finished off a crafty three-point play to pull Garden City to within four, 37-33. They were down six going to the fourth.

But Cloud County pushed the lead to double digits behind an 11-4 run that was capped by Sopoaga's layup that made it 48-37 with 7:25 remaining. They pushed it to 12 following two free throws by Rori Cox.

Garden City though gave themselves another chance. McGee slashed across the lane for a deuce; then hit a free throw, and Justis Odom, who did not play in the first half, drained two freebies to make it a one-possession contest with 1:39 on the clock. But the Broncbusters managed just one field goal the rest of the way.

Neves finished with 17 points but was just 5-of-15 from the field in 31 minutes for Garden City, which lost its second straight game. McGee added 14 points, six boards, and three assists.

Cox scored 14 points, and Paula Puzule finished 4-of-5 from downtown and tallied 13 for Cloud County.

Next up: Garden City vs. Butler-Wednesday, Jan. 12-5:30 p.m. CDT