Bronchos get too generous in 58-41 loss

Life on the road for the Lafayette Jeff Bronchos continues to be bumpy, as they dropped their second straight road contest and third overall.

Jeff, once a familiar foe of the Richmond Red Devils when they competed in the North Central Conference together, was again limited offensively, suffering a 58-41 setback.

The Bronchos (3-6) were plagued by turnovers in the first half, committing 13 of them. Many of the turnovers were a result of the Red Devils’ defensive pressure.

“The turnovers again are our doom,” Jeff coach Scott Radeker said. “Some of them were unforced, where we threw them off our leg or dribbled them off our leg. (Those are) things we have to straighten out, or we are not going to beat anybody.

He added that they worked on facing a pressure-style defense throughout the week during practice.

“We just froze up when it just came down to it,” Jeff junior Devin Haney said. “We are in a shooting slump. We are just going to keep shooting, and shots will start falling later in the season.”

Haney said the team is taking good shots but they are just not falling. He added that the team needs to take better care of the ball and limit the turnovers.

That is what the Bronchos did during the second half. Jeff handled the ball better, turning the ball over just three times. However, the improved ball control did not translate into points.

“There was no question we handled the ball better in the second half,” Radeker said. “That was a big emphasis (at halftime). We handled the pressure better.”

Jeff got behind early, ending the first quarter down 12-5.

During the second quarter, the Bronchos were able to draw within four at 21-17 on a three-point play by Lucas Wallace.

Wallace was one of three Bronchos to finish with a team-high eight points.

“That is an emphasis with our team,” Radeker said. “We don’t have one star that can put us on his back and carry us.”

“We feel like at any time on the floor, all five players can score the ball,” Haney said. “We like to spread the ball around to give everybody an even shot.”

Haney, along with Tyler Buchanan, matched Wallace’s eight points.

Charles Hampton led Richmond with a game-high 21 points.

Richmond scored the first four points of the final quarter and stretched its lead to 18 points, prompting a Broncho timeout.

Jeff promptly went on a 9-0 run, making it 46-37.

“Our kids didn’t give up. They kept battling,” Radeker said.

He called that run, and his team’s fight, a positive to take from the loss.

They were not able to continue the charge, as the Red Devils closed out the contest on a 12-4 run.

“We are going to keep working, well get better,” Radeker said.

“It is a long season. We are not even halfway through yet. We will stay with it.”