Dateline: February 22, 2007

Lady Broncos win area
By Sandy Anderberg

The Lady Broncos are pressing on in the playoffs as they strive to get closer to the state tournament with each win.  Their latest title of Area Champions came against a good Vega team in Amarillo on Friday night with a 57-55 victory.

At press time, the Lady Broncos are at 19-12 for the season.

Clarendon held a slight advantage early in the game but relinquished the lead before the break.  The tide turned somewhat in the third period, and the Lady Broncos found themselves down by five going into the final period. 

They grabbed the fourth quarter momentum and finished with a well-deserved victory to earn the Area championship over Vega.  The Ladies shot a very impressive 11 out of 12 free throws for 92 percent, compared to only 79 percent for the Lady Longhorns.

“Our motto has been Post Proelia Praemia, which is Latin for ‘After the battles, comes the rewards,’” Coach Steve Myatt said. “We are definitely living up to our motto! We are battling hard; and I give all the credit to the girls, assistant coaches Kasey Bell and Alton Gaines, and my wife, Darla.  It is nothing I have done.  Something is clicking for us right now, and we are excited.”

Scoring:  Jessie Howard 19, Macy Shadle 15, Abbie Massingill 12, Regan Lemley 8, and Haley Carter 3.

Earlier in the week, the Lady Broncos claimed the Bi-District Championship by defeating Quanah in Childress by the final of 53-29. 

The Ladies held a four-point edge at the end of the first period but completely owned the second quarter as they outscored their opponent 11-4 to give them a big lead going into the break.  The second half of the game turned into an offensive showcase for the Lady Broncos as Macy Shadle and Regan Lemley pumped in 22 and 21 points respectively. 

Shadle’s 22 included three three-pointers, and Lemley connected on four three-pointers to add to her total. 

“It was unbelievable team offense,” Myatt said.  “It was just awesome the entire game.”

Myatt gave credit to the entire team but felt sophomore Abbie Massingill played well against Quanah’s best post player. 

“Abbie did a great job against their post,” Myatt said.  “She played hard and stayed strong.” 

Offensively, Myatt was pleased with their play. 

“When our shooters got hot, the game was over.  It was our best game we have played so far all year.  It was our best ball.”

Scoring:  Shadle 22, Lemley 21, Howard 6, and Massingill 4.

The Lady Broncos will play Sudan on Wednesday, February 21, at Canyon High School beginning at 8:00 p.m. 

If they win that match up, they will travel to Fort Worth to the Regional Tournament.