Lady Broncos split first games with Wallace, Cambridge

    The Wauneta-Palisade girls’ basketball team opened its season last week with a 1-1 record.
    WP hosted Wallace Thursday.
    Its offense was slow to get going and WP found itself trailing 2-6 midway through the first quarter. The Broncos were able to find their rhythm to pull to 14-15 going into the second quarter.
    Four different players scored in the second quarter, but WP’s defense gave it the advantage. Only two Wallace players scored over the eight-minute span and the Broncos took a 33-26 lead to the locker room.
    The Broncos continued to spread the ball around in the second half. Alexa Sandman, Cali Cox and Peyton Cox each scored at least four points to help WP extend its lead to 49-38 heading into the fourth quarter.
    Wallace had other ideas, hitting four three pointers while WP only made three field goals over the final eight minutes.
    After going 2-13 from the charity stripe in the first three quarters, the Broncos made 11-16 in the fourth quarter and took a 66-60 win.
    “We did a great job attacking the lane, and getting the ball inside when we could. It led to a ton of free throws, and we have a lot of room for improvement there,” WP Head Coach Matt Cox said.
    P. Cox led the Broncos with 21 points and 20 rebounds. Also finishing with double figure scoring were Sandman with 14 points and C. Cox with 13 points. Chloe Stehno and Sandman each had eight rebounds.
Fall to Trojans
    WP made the trip to Cambridge Friday.
    Both teams spread the ball around in the first quarter. Six players scored for Cambridge and C. Stehno, Sandman, C. Cox and P. Cox put points on the board for the Broncos. WP trailed by one point, 15-16, at the end of the first quarter.
    WP’s offense went cold in the second quarter. The Broncos only made two field goals, a two pointer by Izabelle Stehno and a three pointer from GraCee Goings. With one free throw from P. Cox, WP’s deficit grew from one point to nine points, 21-30, at halftime.
    Eight points from P. Cox and five by Goings kept the Broncos in the game in the third quarter.
    Going into the fourth quarter trailing 36-44, it was still P. Cox and Goings carrying the scoring load. The pair scored all seven of WP’s points in the final quarter of the 43-53 loss.
    Cox liked the way WP played defense against the bigger Trojans, but knows his offense won’t struggle with shooting like it did that night.
    Sophomores P. Cox and Goings led WP in scoring with 17 and 11 points, respectively.
    P. Cox had 11 rebounds. C. Stehno and Sandman each pulled down eight rebounds.
Up next
    WP faced Hitchcock County Tuesday afternoon in the opening round of the Cattle Trail Tournament. The Broncos advanced into the winners bracket with a 53-31 win.
    Cox said the early season tournament it gives teams a chance to see how well they are conditioned and regardless of where anyone is as a team, everyone eventually runs into a really competitive game.
    Next up will be another afternoon game Friday at 3:30 p.m. CT on the MCC campus against Arapahoe.
    Final games of the tournament will be Saturday. If WP gets a win on Friday it will play in the championship game at MCC at 5:30 p.m. CT. With a Friday loss, the Broncos will play at 4 p.m. CT in the consolation game at MHS.