Sports
Shhh...Lady Broncos riding 15-game streak
Brendan Hoover
OKLAHOMA CITY--The Mustang High School girls basketball team won their 15th game in a row dating back to last season with a 77-41 win over Putnam City North Jan. 9.
The Lady Broncos had three players scoring in double digits against PC North, led by junior forward Lacy Ramon with 20, and Mustang turned a seemingly close 39-27 halftime lead into a 36-point rout by outscoring the Lady Panthers 38-14 in the second half on stifling man-to-man defense and quick transition offense.
And while the winning streak, which began after a 56-52 loss to Del City in the regional playoffs last February and includes a 48-37 6A state championship victory over Edmond Santa Fe last March, grows longer and looms larger after each Mustang conquest, head coach Nichole Copeland said her team is more concerned with getting better each and every game.
“We’ve won 15 in a row, but we really don’t talk about that. We play our season one game at a time and really one possession at a time. Going undefeated was not a preseason goal for us. We talk about how we are going to get each team’s best shot every night and how we have to be prepared both mentally and physically as we enter the home stretch of the season,” Copeland said.
In the win against PC North, the Lady Bronco defense stretched many Lady Panther offensive possessions to over a minute, most ending in a missed shot or a turnover.
“Playing really good defense and forcing the offense to work longer than they are used to really gets our kids fired up. Our bench gets going and the kids on the floor feed off that energy. I think the long possessions play into our hands mentally because the (opposing) offense tends to get frustrated and often will try to force things that just aren’t there,” Copeland said.
Conversely, the Lady Bronco offense ran the floor whenever they could. Easy fast break buckets helped boost their 64 percent field goal shooting in the second half.
“Our transition game was exceptional, not only off turnovers, but even after made baskets. When you make the opponent work so hard on offense and they finally score, the normal reaction is to relax and celebrate your small victory. But when we are able to take the ball out of the net and advance the ball up the floor for an easy layup, that can really take the wind out of their sails,” Copeland said.
Junior guard Brittnay Prandy and junior forward Jordan Pyle were the other two Lady Broncos in double digits, with 14 and 12 points respectively. Junior guard Kaitlin Ellison had nine points on the night. Senior point guard Kasey Tweed had six points, and senior forward Julie Lofland chipped in five. Senior guard Christina Wilson came off the bench to hit a three late in the game. Senior guard Danni Creach had two points off the bench, as did junior guard Karmin Smith.
So with their winning streak intact the Lady Broncos quietly march on. Their game with Choctaw Tuesday was postponed due to the ice storm and will be rescheduled. The Lady Broncos have upcoming games against old foes Putnam City and Edmond Santa Fe before traveling to Jenks on Jan. 25 for their tournament.
Shhh...Lady Broncos riding 15-game streak
Brendan Hoover
OKLAHOMA CITY--The Mustang High School girls basketball team won their 15th game in a row dating back to last season with a 77-41 win over Putnam City North Jan. 9.
The Lady Broncos had three players scoring in double digits against PC North, led by junior forward Lacy Ramon with 20, and Mustang turned a seemingly close 39-27 halftime lead into a 36-point rout by outscoring the Lady Panthers 38-14 in the second half on stifling man-to-man defense and quick transition offense.
And while the winning streak, which began after a 56-52 loss to Del City in the regional playoffs last February and includes a 48-37 6A state championship victory over Edmond Santa Fe last March, grows longer and looms larger after each Mustang conquest, head coach Nichole Copeland said her team is more concerned with getting better each and every game.
“We’ve won 15 in a row, but we really don’t talk about that. We play our season one game at a time and really one possession at a time. Going undefeated was not a preseason goal for us. We talk about how we are going to get each team’s best shot every night and how we have to be prepared both mentally and physically as we enter the home stretch of the season,” Copeland said.
In the win against PC North, the Lady Bronco defense stretched many Lady Panther offensive possessions to over a minute, most ending in a missed shot or a turnover.
“Playing really good defense and forcing the offense to work longer than they are used to really gets our kids fired up. Our bench gets going and the kids on the floor feed off that energy. I think the long possessions play into our hands mentally because the (opposing) offense tends to get frustrated and often will try to force things that just aren’t there,” Copeland said.
Conversely, the Lady Bronco offense ran the floor whenever they could. Easy fast break buckets helped boost their 64 percent field goal shooting in the second half.
“Our transition game was exceptional, not only off turnovers, but even after made baskets. When you make the opponent work so hard on offense and they finally score, the normal reaction is to relax and celebrate your small victory. But when we are able to take the ball out of the net and advance the ball up the floor for an easy layup, that can really take the wind out of their sails,” Copeland said.
Junior guard Brittnay Prandy and junior forward Jordan Pyle were the other two Lady Broncos in double digits, with 14 and 12 points respectively. Junior guard Kaitlin Ellison had nine points on the night. Senior point guard Kasey Tweed had six points, and senior forward Julie Lofland chipped in five. Senior guard Christina Wilson came off the bench to hit a three late in the game. Senior guard Danni Creach had two points off the bench, as did junior guard Karmin Smith.
So with their winning streak intact the Lady Broncos quietly march on. Their game with Choctaw Tuesday was postponed due to the ice storm and will be rescheduled. The Lady Broncos have upcoming games against old foes Putnam City and Edmond Santa Fe before traveling to Jenks on Jan. 25 for their tournament.
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