Broncbusters split with Independence

Garden City, Kan. (westernkansasnews.com)–As the conference heads in to full gear on the second trip through the league slate, it was Garden City returning home for the first time in four games on Saturday, as they played host to the Independence Pirates inside Conestoga Arena. The Jayhawk Conference doubleheader would see a split, as the Lady Pirates held on for a 58-54 win, while the Broncbuster men had consistent flow in a 114-81 victory.

Independence Women 58, Garden City 54
Garden City started out with an early 5-0 lead. With that start, you may have felt they have a chance to end their six-game slide. Unfortunately, when Independence responded, they wouldn’t surrender the lead. The Lady Pirates went on a 13-3 run in the first quarter and led 13-12 after the opening quarter. They slowly built their lead to seven with 1:42 left before the break, only to see the Lady Busters get to within 27-24 at the break. After their lead was cut to one early in the third quarter, Independence (12-8, 6-8) used a 16-5 run over a five-minute stretch to have their biggest lead at 43-29 with 3:49 left in the third quarter. It would be a 10-point game oging into the final quarter, when Garden City (10-9, 5-9) started using their defense to turn into offense. A 12-2 run over a five-minute stretch got the Lady Busters to 53-51 with 1:59 left. That would be the closest they got the rest of the way, as the Lady Pirates led by six late, before settling for the 58-54 win.

Merveille Nkoyock led the way for the Lady Pirates with 27 points and 11 rebounds, while Serenity Echols had 18 points. Independence shot 35% for the game and were 8-11 at the charity line. They had 25 turnovers. Garden City got 15 from Stevi Yancy, 13 points from Sariah Conley and 11 points and 13 rebounds from Antonicia Moultrie. The Lady Busters shot 31% for the game and were 10-17 at the free throw line. They also had 25 turnovers, as both teams also had 40 rebounds.

Garden City has now lost seven straight overall, as they saw Independence avenge an 83-49 Lady Buster win on November 21.

Women’s Audio Recap

Garden City Men 114, Independence 81
This one saw the Broncbuster men dominate with their high-tempo offense, as they would throttle the Pirates. Even though it was tied at two early on, this was one that belonged to Garden City. They would build up an early lead of 17-8 with 13:51 left before halftime, but the Pirates wouldn’t go away early on. Independence was able to pull to within 28-22 with nine minutes left in the half. That was the moment Garden City (13-7, 9-5) would pull away and never look back. A 19-3 run over four minutes built a lead of 47-29 with 4:34 left before the break, as the teams would trade points, and it would be 57-41 at the break. Independence (1-19, 0-14) wasn’t able to recover in the second half, as Garden City kept expanding their lead. The Busters led by as many as 38 points late in the game, before the Pirates scored eight straight late in the game. Garden City picked up a convincing 114-81 win, as they scored 100 points for a fifth time this year, and it was their second most, behind their 116 against Bethany JV on December 10.

Jordan Frazier had a season-best 23 points and grabbed 14 boards, while Braxton Jones had 22 poitns, Brody Robinon finished with 21 poitns and 13 assists, Charles Chukwu added 17 points and Thomas Tut had 15 points. Garden City shot a blistering 58% for the game, as they hit 12 triples and finished 16-26 from the free throw line. They dominated the rebounds 46-28, but had 19 turnovers. Indpendence was led by Cory Curtis, Jr with a game-high 36 points, as he continues to be the top scorer in the conference. The Pirates finished 43% from the floor and were 10-15 at the foul line. They had 18 turnovers.

Garden City swept the season series from the Pirates, as they remain in the top half of the Jayhawk Conference Standings.

Men’s Audio Recap