Regular Season Finale Leaves Sour Taste for Broncbusters

GARDEN CITY, Kan. – Frustration boiled up throughout the game. An infuriating defensive scheme to go against, with lapses in concentration, and 50-50s not going their way.

It all exploded at one moment; Garden City head coach Rusty Elmore was ejected with 9:58 to go, a four-point deficit. The game ended on a 28-14 run afterwards.

The Garden City Broncbusters were defeated by the No. 16 Hutchinson Blue Dragons, 96-78, at Conestoga Arena on Wednesday. Garden City closed the season with a 1-9 record against the top five teams in the Jayhawk Conference.

Hutchinson’s gameplan against GCCC the first time was simple; don’t let Brody Robinson beat them. The Blue Dragons hounded Robinson with countless double teams, limiting his impact to just five points.

Garden City (18-12, 14-10 KJCCC) invented different ways to get Robinson the ball in the first half; set up by giving on-ball screens, and handoffs to coast-to-cost shots. As wild as it was, it worked.

Robinson missed just one shot in the first half, excellently setting up his teammates for eight assists. The sophomore finished with a game-high 25 points for Garden City, his 12th game leading the Broncbusters in scoring.

Hutchinson (25-5, 20-3 KJCCC) was held to 37 points in the first half but exploded in the second half. The Blue Dragons emerged after the four-minute mark in the second half, scoring nine straight points to pull within one.

Forward Dadrevius Weathers sparked an 11-3 run to give HCC the lead for good, scoring nine of the points. Weathers finished with a season-high 27 points in the victory.

Coach Elmore’s ejection led to an immediate three free throws, followed up by makes from forwards Weathers and Valentino Simon to push the lead to 11. There was no way back for Garden City afterwards, unable to find a consistent spark down the stretch.

The Broncbusters finish the 2023-24 regular season with a record of 18 wins and 12 losses, the No. 6 seed in the Jayhawk conference. Garden City will host in the first round of the KJCCC Tournament, their opponent will be named later this week.

Audio recap;