The No. 16 Mustang Broncos picked up a win over Union last weekend in the 2023 Shawnee Invitational, followed by a pair of close losses to one of Class 5A’s top teams and the tournament host.
MUSTANG 37, UNION 28
The Broncos (8-8) started the weekend slate with their third straight win overall, knocking off the Redhawks last Thursday to advance to the tournament semifinals.
Mustang shot 40-percent from the floor overall and drilled six of nine three-point attempts on route to the victory. The team’s 15-3 run in the third quarter also played a major factor in its eighth win of the season.
Coach Katie Smith’s squad trailed 14-13 at halftime before exploding for a 29-16 lead out of the break. The Broncos scored nine points in the final eight minutes to close out the win.
Lunden Foreman (Sr.) and Parker Simonsen (Jr.) led the way offensively, each scoring 10 points while drilling two three-pointers apiece. Foreman, who was named to the All-Tournament Team, added three rebounds and an assist while Simonsen tallied three helpers and two boards.
Christal Long (So.) led Mustang on the glass, grabbing a team-high 10 rebounds, including five on the offensive end. She also chipped in five points. Tionna Johnson (So.) also scored five points on 3-for-3 shooting.
Tionna Johnson (So.) guards a player during a game earlier this season at the Mustang Event Center. Johnson helped lead the Broncos to one win last weekend in the 2023 Shawnee Invitational. (Photo by Ron Lane / Lane Images)
Cherish Haywood (So.) and Avery Ragland (Fr.) each scored three points. Haywood added five rebounds, including three offensive boards, and one assist. Mya Alston (Fr.) scored one point with one rebound.
Defensively, the Broncos finished with six steals and five deflections. Ragland led the two with two takeaways. Foreman and Johnson finished with two deflections apiece.
EL RENO 46, MUSTANG 39
Shooting woes and a third-quarter scoring drought plagued the Broncos in a 46-39 loss to 5A fourth-ranked Indians last Friday.
Mustang went 12-for-40 (30-percent) from the floor, including just 5-for-24 on two-point attempts, and turned the ball over 22 times. Smith’s squad still carried a 20-15 lead into halftime.
The Broncos, however, gave up an 18-5 run in the third quarter and couldn’t bounce back in the fourth, surrendering their first loss since the Bank 7 Holiday Classic consolation finals on Dec. 30, 2022.
Simonsen and Foreman again led the team offensively, combining for 19 points on 6-for-19 shooting. Simonsen scored 10 points while Foreman chipped in nine. All of the duo’s makes came from three-point range or at the free-throw stripe.
Haywood also had a solid performance, scoring seven points while grabbing a team-high five rebounds in the loss. Ragland scored five points with two assists while Long scored three points with four rebounds.
Riley Trammell (Jr.) also grabbed a team-high five rebounds and scored one point. Annie Ferguson (So.) and Alston each scored two points.
Defensively, Foreman led the way with three steals and three deflections. Alston finished with one takeaway.
SHAWNEE 28, MUSTANG 25
The Broncos lost a tightly battled consolation finals game to the host Wolves on Saturday, falling 28-25 after allowing an 8-4 run in the final eight minutes.
Mustang took a one-point lead into the fourth quarter but couldn’t hold on as the team closed the tournament with its second straight loss.
Another off-shooting night hurt the Broncos as they went 8-for-31 from the floor overall and just 1-for-12 from beyond the arc. They went 0-for-5 from three-point range in the first half.
Haywood scored a team-high six points and grabbed a team-high five rebounds in the loss. Ferguson and Alston each chipped in five points – half of those points coming from the free-throw line. The duo also combined for seven boards.
Simonsen chipped in four points with two rebounds and one assist. Long scored three points and grabbed two boards while Foreman scored two points with four rebounds and one assist.
