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Bronaugh girls fall to Jasper at home
By Eric Wade
Daily Mail Sports Editor
BRONAUGH -- The Bronaugh Lady Wildcats basketball team has started the season with a bit of inconsistency, unable to really get a streak going, in either direction.
In the first five games of the year, the Lady Wildcats alternated wins and losses, ultimately resulting in a 3-2 record. The Lady Wildcats opened the season with a 64-22 victory over Golden City, followed by a 43-35 win over Thomas Jefferson, but then dropped their next two games -- a 68-43 decision at Montrose and a 47-38 loss to Northeast Arma -- before completing their early-season run with a 51-12 drubbing of Ballard.
The Lady Wildcats returned home Thursday night, hoping to start another winning streak as they hosted the Lady Eagles of Jasper High School. Those hopes didn't pan out, however, as a significant depth advantage helped the Lady Eagles pull away in the second half on their way to a 50-34 victory.
"We ran out of gas," Lady Wildcats head coach Sean Crane said.
It certainly appeared, at the beginning of the contest, that the Lady Eagles would have no trouble hanging with a talented Jasper squad as 5-foot, 5-inch junior Martell Moore wasted little time leading her squad's efforts to go right at the Lady Eagles' throats. A very tough and aggressive Lady Wildcats defense rushed the Lady Eagles into a number of bad shots, limiting what is normally a very potent offense through the contest's first 8 minutes.
That aggressive defense did come with one disadvantage, however, as the Lady Eagles were able to draw several early fouls. That proved to be just the edge head coach Kent Aderegg's squad needed and the Lady Eagles went into the first break nursing an 11-10 lead.
As the second period began, things began to slowly unravel for the Lady Wildcats and Jasper took full advantage. That didn't last, however, as the Lady Wildcats were able to pull it together as the minutes wore on, ending the quarter on a quick 6-0 run to take an 18-17 lead into the locker room at halftime.
Throughout the first half and the remainder of the contest, the Lady Wildcats struggled to shoot the ball from both the field and the free-throw line. Those struggles were tempered, however, by the fact that Crane's squad pulled down 25 first-half rebounds -- seven on the offensive end of the floor.
By the time all was said and done, the Lady Wildcats put up a far less than ideal shooting performance from the floor, shooting just 9-for-49, or about 18 percent. Things were better from the charity stripe, but still nowhere near what Crane might have liked, as his squad finished the night 13-for-24 in charity tosses.
That, on top of a total of 23 turnovers in the contest ultimately proved to be the Lady Wildcats' undoing. As the minutes wore on, the Lady Eagles were able to use their depth and athleticism to keep the pressure on, forcing the Lady Wildcats into an error-filled half that quickly saw their one-point halftime lead turn into a double-digit deficit.
The Lady Wildcats were still in it until the fourth quarter, however, when the 31-23 hole they were in at the start of the frame quickly began to grow. Up by as many as 21 points in the quarter, Anderegg began to clear off his bench and the Lady Wildcats did attempt a comeback late, but simply ran out of time and ultimately found themselves on the receiving end of a 16-point defeat.
Moore led the offense for the Lady Wildcats on the night, as she finished with 13 points. She was joined in double figures by Amanda Raper, who finished the night with 10.
As a team, the Lady Wildcats finished the night 2-for-8 from beyond the 3-point arc and hauled in 43 rebounds -- 14 on the offensive end of the floor.
Bronaugh's junior varsity girls' squad was in action on the night, as well, playing one foul-riddled period against the Lady Eagles' JV. By the time that 8-minute contest came to a close, the Lady Wildcats found themselves on the short end of a 17-6 decision.
With Thursday's loss, Crane's squad fell to 3-3 on the season. As the holiday break looms, the Lady Wildcats have three more contests on the schedule, before taking the remainder of the month off.
The next contest on the schedule for Crane's squad is set for next Tuesday, when the Lady Wildcats host Sheldon. The first contest on the schedule that night is set to tip off at 5:30 p.m., at Bronaugh High School.