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February 24, 2005
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February 24, 2005 |
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sports
’Dogs lose tourney opener to Broncos In the second quarter of their Division IV sectional game last Wednesday, the YSHS Bulldogs showed they had the skill and focus to compete with Jefferson, the No. 2 seed in the Wright State bracket. Yellow Springs players swarmed over Jefferson’s faster, more athletic players, causing the Broncos to turn the ball over on five consecutive plays and coming within 3 points, at 24–21, of turning the tide their way. Had the halftime buzzer not interrupted their momentum, perhaps the Bulldogs’ season could have lasted a little longer. But the intensity of the period seemed too great to maintain, and the Bulldogs succumbed in a 72–47 loss in the first round of the sectional tournament. The Bulldogs ended their season 9–12 overall and 5–7 in the Metro Buckeye Conference. Last week’s loss was the Bulldogs’ third against Jefferson (13–8) this year. The Dogs were blown out early in the season but two weeks ago played a closer game, which the Broncos won 77–62. On Wednesday, both teams had comparable stats in rebounds and turnovers (the Bulldogs had 33 rebounds and turned the ball over 22 times, while the Broncos had 26 rebounds and 19 turnovers), and the Bulldogs even took more shots than their opponents. In the end, however, the game came down to shooting percentages, getting the ball through the hoop. Jefferson shot 64 percent, while Yellow Springs struggled with 32 percent. If the Bulldogs’ slight but quick junior guard Brad Benning-Clark had the ball, it was likely to end up in the net. But after an elegant drive to the basket an easy bucket early in the first quarter, the Broncos kept Benning-Clark on the outside and forced the Bulldogs to rely on senior forward Cody Johnson to score. Behind 20–13, the Bulldogs turned the ball over twice at the start of the second quarter, giving them a steeper hill to climb. Playing tight man-to-man defense, they held Jefferson at 24 and forced the Broncos into making sloppy passes and multiple turnovers. Several minutes passed, with the Bulldogs working to get their shots in before the Broncos bucked. First Nick Eastman scored from below, then Johnson, then Anthony Carter, until the score was 24–21. With a minute and a half left in the second quarter, the Broncos quickly scored 5 points to take a 29–23 lead at the half. Early in the third quarter, the Bulldogs regained the momentum they had built in the first half, after Benning-Clark, Ryan Silvert and Carter each stole the ball. But the Broncos’ superior talent broke loose, increased their lead and ended the quarter ahead 51–37. Cheers from the Bulldogs’ fans sounded distant as Jefferson ran away with the night. With just over a minute and a half left, the Broncos capped off their big win with a slam dunk, making the score 65–44. Benning-Clark had a team-high 19 points, followed by Johnson, who had with 12 points and 7 rebounds.
Coach Brad Newsome had regrets about the Bulldogs’ performance. “There were a lot of missed opportunities and chances to cut even, but our non-conversions mounted and hurt us,” he said after the game. Still, he remained positive about the marked improvement the team made as the year progressed. “I felt like the guys as individuals got better, and we got better at trusting each other as a team,” he said. MBC awards time YSHS will host the winter sports awards ceremony on Wednesday, March 2, at 7 p.m., at the high school cafeteria.
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