The Burns Broncs posted three wins last week beginning with a 62-59 win over the visiting Mitchell Tigers on Jan. 10.

“The Broncs found themselves down early against the Tigers,” said coach Sean Patterson.

“Mitchell came out of the gates shooting the ball well and displaying some speed on the offensive end. Burns had to make some adjustments on defense and continue to fight back in the game.”

Mitchell came out strong it the first period, outscoring Burns 23-13. Burns led in the second quarter, but only by two points. Going into halftime, Mitchell led 36-28.

“Our defensive execution improved immensely in the second half,” Patterson said. “We also did a great job of boxing out and rebounding. This allowed us to chip away at their lead and gave us some opportunities down the stretch to win the game. We missed a jump shot at the end of regulation that would have won the game for us.”

A steady second half added 29 points to the home team score. The Tigers tacked on 21, to knot the score at 57 at the end of regulation.

“The kids kept their composure and were able to make some big plays in overtime, none bigger then Chad Lemaster’s 3-pointer as the buzzer sounded,” Patterson said. “This was a fun game to be a part of, Mitchell is a very talented team and we were very proud of the way the boys fought back into the game.”

Colton Wright led the scoring drive for the Broncs with 18 points. Travis Romsa followed with 15.  Cory Lemaster found the basket to add nine points. Cody Leader and Chad Lemaster each put eight on the board. Rounding out the scoring was Brodie Eklund with four points and Colby Ward with one.

“At Southeast on Friday night, the Broncs were able to set the tempo of the game in the first half,” said Patterson. “The Broncs used a fast paced, up and down style to get their offense going. Our defensive effort in the second quarter was a big difference maker in this game.”

Keeping the score to a close 17-14 lead at the end of the first canto, the Broncs proceeded to put 14 more on the board while holding Southeast to only four points in the second. Coming out of the locker room both teams offense struggled to find the basket seeing each team only adding six points apiece in the third period. The Cylones added some power in the fourth, outscoring the Broncs 19-15, but the effort was not enough to overcome the Cyclones first half deficit.

“We had several kids contribute with 10 different Broncs scoring in the game,’ Patterson said. “We would have liked to finish the game a little stronger on the defensive end, we realize this is a tough place to play and are happy to get a big SEWAC win.”

Romsa  led the charge against Southeast netting 12 points. Cory and Chad Lemaster each tacked on seven, while Wright and Eklund found the basket for  six points each. Leader hit for four, Trevor McNamee and Cole Bostron each added three and Kaleb Morgan and Ward had two buckets.

The Boys from Burns improved to 13-0 on the season, with a 49-40 victory over the Wright Panthers on Saturday at home.

“The Broncs were able to use some pressure defense to build an early lead,” Patterson said. “We did some great things offensively against their zone. The kids were able to create some passing angles and make nice passes to teammates in the half court. We are pleased with the victory, we know this a team that we may see again at the end of the year and it was good to gain some experience.”

The defense held Wright to six points in the first quarter, as the offense used its time in the paint to put 15 points on the board. Wright battled back coming on strong in the second to bring the score to 27-21 at the halftime buzzer. Opening the second half, the teams struggled to find the basket, but Burns maintained a 34-27 lead heading into the final period of play. Burns continued to lead 15-13 in the last quarter to bring the score to its 49-40 final.

Romsa and Wright were the team’s high scorers with 14 and 13 points respectively. Eklund followed with six. Chad Lemaster and Ward had five each. Leader pitched in four buckets and Cory Lemaster netted two. The Burns Junior Varsity team lost to Mitchell on Tuesday. They then beat Southeast and Wright on Friday and Saturday. Their record now stands at 8-2.

The freshmen/sophomore team lost to Pine Bluffs last Monday. They will travel to Cheyenne on Friday and Saturday for a Freshmen Tournament.

“The Broncs will host South on Tuesday and will welcome Pine Bluffs to Burns on Saturday,” Patterson said. “We understand there are a lot of areas we need to continue to improve in and we hope to keep building and learning from each game experience.

The game on Saturday is “Tough Enough to Wear Pink” day. The team and refs will were pink uniforms in support of those who are battling breast cancer. Spectators are asked to participate by being “Tough Enough to Wear Pink” to the game.