Broncbusters edge Pratt for 18th win of the season

By Mike Pilosof

Photo by Adam Shrimplin

Garden City, KS-Antwain Scales continues to perform his best coaching job of his career.

Down three of his best players, Garden City scraped their way to a home victory. Alexis Smith scored 12 points, Ashton McCorry tallied 10 points and nine rebounds, and the Broncbusters squeaked by Pratt, 47-43 Monday night at Conestoga Arena. Scales' team improved to 18-8 overall and 12-8 in the Jayhawk.

The Broncbusters slogged their way through this one. They shot under 40 percent, missed all four 3-point attempts, turned the ball over 20 times and fell down by as many as seven to a Beaver squad that had just three wins all year.

After leading by two after one, the Beavers outscored the Broncbusters 12-6 in the second quarter. Garden City missed eight of their 10 shots and had six turnovers. In fact, after the Broncbusters jumped out to an early 12-4 advantage, Pratt outscored them 22-10 and led by 47-43 at the break.

Garden City pushed back in the third, and Smith's jumper from the left wing put the Broncbusters ahead, 36-35 after three.

Pratt regained the lead on Cassie Onwugbufor's triple from the top of the key 30 seconds into the final stanza. But Dayshawna Carter answered with a pair of layups on the other end, McCorry swished a left-handed hook in the paint, and Payton Hicks drilled two free throws with less than 30 seconds remaining to put it away.

Keyhana Turner finished with eight points and six rebounds for Garden City, who was playing without Kealani Neves, Justis Odom, and Donetria McGee. Britney Mapang and Carter each scored six points.

Onwugbufor paced the Beavers with 13 points.