Broncos Prevail in Overtime at Bellevue
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Hastings (2-0) | 20 | 18 | 15 | 16 | 12 | 81 |
|
Bellevue (NE) (4-1) | 23 | 21 | 11 | 14 | 8 | 77 |
(Bellevue, NE) – Looking to build upon their dominant win last week, the Hastings Broncos outlasted the Bellevue Bruins 81-77 in overtime on Tuesday.
The first quarter featured six lead changes as Bellevue led 23-20 after the opening 10 minutes. Hastings got two of its first three baskets on three-pointers from sophomore Tathis Arredondo and freshman McKenna Yates, who each had five points to lead the team in first quarter scoring.
Bellevue scored the first basket of the quarter to go up five, but Hastings rallied to tie the game up at 26 with 8:50 left in the half. With the Broncos leading 31-30, the Bruins hit a couple of threes and used that momentum to go up 44-38 at halftime.
The Bruins held Hastings to 40 percent shooting in the first half while shooting 56 percent themselves and hit six of 10 three-point attempts. Yates led the way with seven first half points and five assists. Freshmen Josilyn Miller and Jentri Marx each contributed six points in the half.
The third quarter was a low-scoring quarter in which the teams combined for 26 points, with Hastings cutting the lead to 55-53.
The Broncos began the fourth quarter on a 7-0 run, starting with a layup from sophomore Rachel Goodon. Hastings forced a miss and after a foul, Yates knocked down two free throws. The Broncos concluded the run with a defensive stop and a three-pointer from senior Kiernan Paulk from junior Mariyah Avila to go up 60-55 with 8:45 to go.
Bellevue hung tough, rallying to go up 64-62 with four minutes left. Avila hit one of two free throws, then after both teams exchanged turnovers, Goodon rebounded a Bruin miss, and Yates scored at the other end to take a 65-64 lead.
With 1:36 left, Bellevue split a pair at the line. A clutch corner three from Miller off a pass from Yates put the Broncos up 68-65 with 51 seconds remaining. Bellevue cut the deficit to one on a layup with 27 seconds left. Yates made one of two free throws and the Bruins forced overtime with a layup in the closing seconds of regulation, as they forced a turnover on the final Bronco possession.
In overtime, both teams opened up with made buckets. After a couple of Bellevue free throws, Hastings took a one-point lead on a Yates three. Leading 75-74, Paulk hit a couple of free throws. The Bruins had a couple of open three-point attempts with just under a minute left in overtime, but neither would fall. Goodon secured the rebound and Hastings iced the game with free throws to outlast the Bruins, 81-77.
Yates led the team in scoring with 17 points, along with eight assists and five rebounds. Paulk added 15 points and four rebounds off the bench. Avila had 10 points, seven rebounds, and five assists. Miller was also in double figures off the bench with 10 points and six rebounds.
Up next, the Broncos will host Waldorf for their conference opener at 2pm on Saturday, Nov. 16.
