Powder River Examiner -

Broadus basketball teams played in Wibaux on Friday, braving below zero conditions in their journey to the barren, tundra-like prairie along the border of North Dakota.

Both girls and boys varsity teams started out slow but picked up steam as their games went along, and were able to corral the Longhorns without drama.

Girls

The Broadus girls trailed Wibaux into the second quarter, when more of the Lady Hawks' shots started to fall – the Lady Hawks had a 12.5% effective field goal percentage in the first quarter and 25% in the second.

After halftime, the Lady Hawks really started to sink their shots, improving to over 40%, and in the fourth quarter Wibaux switched to a man defense, which Broadus was able to take advantage of while shutting down Wibaux's offense, with Broadus scoring 16 to Wibaux's 4. Final Score: Lady Hawks 45, Wibaux 28.

In speaking to Lady Hawk Head Coach Kristie Lanke, she commented on the great work done by the Lady Hawks under the net on rebounds – Broadus snagged 17 offensive rebounds and 30 defensive rebounds.

The Lady Hawks also spread the ball around well, with three players in triple digits, and seven players scoring in total. Zeason Schaffer had a double-double with 13 points and 17 rebounds, while Maddie Zimmer scored 13 and Mia Mader 11.

Boys

The boys also started out slow with the score tied in the early 2nd quarter. In the second quarter, the Hawks shots started to fall, as they knocked down three 3-pointers.

The Hawks did a good job throughout the game in keeping the turnovers to a minimum, with only six on the night. Keeping track of the ball meant more shot opportunities, and Broadus was able to capitalize, scoring 1.28 points per possession, the first time the Hawks have gone above 1 point per possession this season.

The Hawks won the game handily, 71-37.

Josh Rasmussen led the Hawks in scoring, with fifteen points off five three pointers. Josh went 5 for 7 from beyond the arc on the evening, and his game leading scoring marked the seventh out of seven seniors on the team who have led a game in scoring this year.

Zeason Schaffer soars far above potential blockers at Wibaux, in the photo below. Schaffer had 13 points and 16 rebounds on the night. (Basketball photos courtesy Jacy Collins)

The Hawks' ability to spread the scoring around the team makes them a tough team to plan for, according to Hawks Head Coach Dustin Lanke.

Other notable performances include Thomas Oylear's double-double, with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Jaxon Bilbrey also had 14 points.

In JV action, the Broadus boys won 54-44.

On Saturday, basketball games across much of Montana were not played due to the extreme cold, including all games in the 4C.

The game originally scheduled for Saturday against Jordan has been pushed back to January 27th.

Broadus now hosts Plevna on Friday and travels to Terry on Saturday. For the boys, Plevna previously beat Wibaux 61-47, and Terry beat Plevna, according to Coach Dustin Lanke. For the girls, Wibaux beat Plevna, and Terry is expected to be a more competitive game than in years past, as their team has gained maturity.