Broncos trampled by Buffs in overtime

Published December 18, 2012 11:00pm by Josie Musico

Meadow almost won their first actual 2012 district game, but unfortunately learned in overtime that almost isn’t enough.

The Broncos suffered a devastating 38-41 Petersburg loss Tuesday night at home that could have been avoided in literally a tenth of a second.

After trading leads a few times early in the game with the Buffaloes and coming back near the end from a 19-26 halftime deficit, the Broncos maintained a two-point advantage the last three minutes of what would have been the final quarter. But while attempting to wind down the clock, a foul landed Petersburg’s T. Roden on the free-throw line with 0.1 seconds left on the clock. The visiting Buffalo somehow survived the unimaginable pressure and landed both shots, bringing the scoreboard to 38-38 and the game into overtime.

The Buffaloes managed to score again and sink another free throw in that extra round, but the frustrated Broncos weren’t as fortunate. 

"I thought we competed hard in the second half,” said Coach Kyle Johnson. "We just didn’t make the plays we needed at the end to win the game.”

Scorers included Brandon Flores 2-0 5-6 9, Zach England 4-0 1-2 9, Christian Herrera 3-0 6, Trey Herrera 1-1 0-2 9, Alan Estrada 2-0 4, Mason Davila 1-0 1-5 3 and Adrian Flores 1-0 2. The Broncos landed seven of 15 free-throw attempts for 47 percent and the Buffaloes five of nine for 56 percent.

The Lady Broncos suffered a loss of their own to Petersburg, 43-58. They were down 18-31 at halftime, then reached a 20-point deficit when a Lady Buffalo landed a tough shot a full three feet behind the three-point line.

Head Coach Ryan Bobo admitted that despite the loss, he was impressed with his squad’s efforts.

"I think we did a pretty good job,” he said. "Defensively we did all we could - we just couldn’t handle everything they threw at us.”

Junior Tamara Vela - back on the court, fully recovered from an injury that had benched her the last few games - led the Lady Broncos with 19 points, including an impressive 80-percent free-throw average. 

Other scorers included Reina Garza 2-1 0-2 7, Katlen Davila 2-0 2-3 6, Carla Rodriguez 2-0 1-2 5, Lexy Silva 1-0 2-5 and Bethany Flores 1-0 2. The Lady Broncos sank 12 of 22 free-throw attempts for 55 percent and the Lady Buffaloes six of eight for 75 percent.

Lubbock-Harmony forfeited Friday in what would have been the first round of district play, leaving the boys team 1-1 following the Petersburg loss and the girls team 2-1, including a 38-35 Southland victory Dec. 11. The Broncos and Lady Broncos will continue district play this Friday in Lorenzo.