Lady Busters Battle No. 13 Dodge City on the Road
Garden City Community College mens basketball team hosted Barton Community College on Wednesday, January 10, 2024 at Conestoga Arena in Garden City, Kan. The Busters lost to the Cougars 78 - 86. Photo credits; Adam Shrimplin, Shrimplin Photography
DODGE CITY, KS. – First-year head coach Greg Franklin called out his team’s toughness after their loss to Barton. The Broncbusters were out-rebounded by 24, giving up 22 more points in the paint.
The Broncbusters certainly showed toughness, but more than that is needed against the reigning Jayhawk Conference Champions.
Garden City fell short, losing 85-77, against the No. 13 Dodge City Conquistadors at the Students Activities Center on Wednesday night. The loss marked Garden City’s fourth consecutive defeat in 2024.
Both teams started really well on the defensive end. The Conquistadors turned the ball over on six of their first 10 possessions. Garden City, in turn, just couldn’t hit their shots early.
The Broncbusters shot just 5-of-17 in the first 10 minutes, trailing 15-11. It was the fourth straight game in 2024 that Garden City (10-6, 5-6 KJCCC) was down after one.
Dodge City would hit five of six shots down the stretch of the first half. Sophomore guard Paris Santacaterina lifted the Conqs into life, scoring seven points in the frame. Her late and-one gave DCCC its largest lead of the first half, 41-29.
The Lady Conquistadors (16-2, 10-2 KJCCC) would stretch the lead to 17, but the unlikeliest of sources would bring Garden City into life. Freshman Carly Lang scored six points in the frame, including two layups on consecutive possessions, to help tear the lead down to seven.
Lang finished with a career-high eight points, adding five rebounds.
C.C. Driessen was one of Garden City’s most important players in its first 12 games, and proved pivotal down the stretch. The freshman took over 12 points 4th quarter, keeping Garden City afloat.
Driessen finished with a team-high 23 points in the defeat.
The Broncbusters would pull within as little as five, but just couldn’t hit the big shots late. Transition layups by Parris Atkins proved too much to handle, pulling Dodge to its 10th conference win.
The Lady Busters’ three-game road trip continues on Saturday, and the competition doesn’t get any easier. Garden City faces No. 5 Hutchinson at Hutchinson Sports Arena. Coverage begins on 99.9 ‘The Rock’ at 5:10 P.M., with tip off at the bottom of the hour.
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