Broncbusters Fall to No. 8 Dodge City at Conestoga Arena

Garden City, KS — The Garden City Broncbusters battled hard but ultimately fell to No. 8 ranked Dodge City Community College, 85-68, Saturday afternoon inside Conestoga Arena .

Garden City (15-11, 10-11 KJCCC) showed early fight to open the contest. Deija Roberson got the Busters on the board with a pair of free throws after grabbing two offensive rebounds on the opening possession. The game was tied at 8-8 midway through the first quarter following a Sokhna Ndiaye layup off a Marshea Fisher assist, but Dodge City used a late surge to take control. A 9-2 run over the final stretch of the opening period pushed the Conquistadors ahead 21-12 after one.

The second quarter proved pivotal. Dodge City shot efficiently and capitalized on key Garden City turnovers to stretch the lead to double digits. After trailing by as many as 16, the Broncbusters found a spark from Caryle Fortas and London Turner. Fortas converted multiple strong takes to the rim, while Turner attacked the glass and finished inside to trim the deficit to 39-26 at the break.

Out of halftime, Garden City showed resilience. Paula Fernandez knocked down a trio of three-pointers in the third quarter, helping the Busters briefly find rhythm offensively. Ndiaye added key baskets in the paint, and Turner continued her aggressive play, but Dodge City answered each push. The Conquistadors shot 46.6% from the floor and connected on 13 three-pointers, including five from Savi Mi, who finished with 19 points .

Garden City outscored Dodge City 22-22 in the third and cut the margin to 63-48 entering the fourth. Early in the final frame, Fernandez buried another three to make it 63-51, and later Fortas and Turner helped trim the deficit to nine at 69-60 with just under five minutes to play. However, Dodge City responded with timely threes and free throws down the stretch to secure the win.

Fortas led the Broncbusters with 16 points on 8-of-12 shooting, while Turner and Ndiaye each added 14. Fernandez provided a major lift off the bench with 15 points, all from beyond the arc (5-of-7), as Garden City's bench outscored Dodge City's 34-19 . The Busters also held a 32-28 advantage in points in the paint and forced 13 turnovers.

Despite the effort, Garden City shot 34.7% from the field and 30.4% from three, while Dodge City capitalized on efficient perimeter shooting and timely scoring runs to remain atop the conference standings .

With the loss, the Broncbusters move to 15-11 overall and 10-11 in KJCCC play.

Next up, Garden City heads to Cloud County to take on the T-Birds on Wednesday, Feb. 25. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.