The Lady Broncs varsity girls’ basketball team made the long trip to Mammoth to begin their league season.
The dominating victory put Kern Valley at 1-0 in the HDL. The game was decided mostly in the first quarter. The Lady Broncs began the game with a 23-0 run to sprint out to the early lead. The defense clamped down on their opponent as the relenting pressure turning that into easy transition baskets in the offensive end. When the horn sounded to end the initial quarter, the Lady Broncs held the 27-2 cushion.
The second quarter was more of the same as the Kern Valley defense smothered the Lady Huskies. They limited Mammoth to zero points to end the first half. With the scoreboard reading visitors 47 and the home team two, the teams went into the break. This would be the last time the starters would see the floor on the night. Getting valuable experience, the bench players got their chance to work the ball on the court. They were able to keep the pressure defense going and the offense adding points. The domination continued as they allowed just four points in the third. The Lady Broncs scored eight points to make the score 55-6 when the buzzer buzzed.
The final quarter was just going through the motions with the younger Kern Valley players running the floor. With the starters cheering on their teammates from the bench, the Lady Broncs finished with an 11-point quarter. The defense stayed the course as they limited Mammoth to just two points, The final score of 66-8 showed a huge scoring difference between the two teams.
Kern Valley had a pair of players score in double-digits. Leading the way in scoring was Jayda Bushling with 16 points. She was followed by Naomi Tapia with 14 points. Scarlett Russell added eight points, while Jade Montes scored seven. Montes would hit a three-pointer in the game. Jessie Bunting contributed five points. Three Lady Broncs scored four points in the contest. Ashley Plante, McKayla Bachman, and Emmalyn Bechtel put in four points apiece. Leenah Troller and Elli Jeans each hit once from behind the three-point arc for their three points each for Kern Valley. Ava Elliott capped the scoring for the Lady Broncs with two points. Five players handed out multiple assists. Bunting topped the chart as she dished out four assists. Bushling and Troller each recorded three assists, while Tapia and Montes were credited with a pair of assists.
Russell was the chairman-of-the-boards as she grabbed a team-high nine rebounds. Montes pulled down seven boards, while Elliott grabbed six rebounds. Plante and Bachman grabbed four rebounds apiece. Bushling and Tapia had two boards apiece, while Bunting and Jeans recorded one rebound in the game. Three Kern Valley players shared the team lead in steals. Bushling, Tapia, and Elliott each had five steals. Plante and Bechtel recorded four steals apiece. Bunting and Jeans were each credited with three steals.
Kern Valley head coach Bill Gallis commenting on the game said, “Traveling to Mammoth always brings some concern about starting off slow, but the girls came out with great energy and focus, putting those worries to rest. I was particularly impressed with how hard they played and how well they communicated on the court. Their effort to find the open player really showcased our team-first mentality. One of the highlights of the night was the opportunity to rest our starters and give our younger players significant minutes. This experience will be invaluable for their development as we progress through the season. Overall, it was a great way to start league play, and I’m excited to see how we build on this momentum moving forward”
This past weekend, the Lady Broncs competed in the Corcoran Tournament. On Tuesday they traveled to Bishop to continue HDL action. Look for results and individual stats in next week’s issue of the Kern Valley Sun.
Kern Valley varsity girls get ‘Mammoth’ 66-8 win
