Broncos cruise to weekend sweep over Briercrest
Men's basketball team pick up 105-77 win
On Saturday afternoon at the Ralph Klein Center the Olds College Broncos (10-9) completed their weekend sweep of the Briercrest Clippers (0-19), claiming a 105-77 victory.
Point guard Linden Jackson was dominant on the court for the Broncos, relentlessly driving the lane and constantly drawing fouls from the Clippers, finishing with 32 points on 11-22 shooting. Jackson also brought down 10 rebounds for the double-double and went 8-9 from the free throw line.
Abe Murray and Paolo de Soto-Parente each contributed with 20 points of their own. Brandon Tolentino led the Clippers with 16 points.
The win increases the Broncos record to above .500, but they will require a weekend sweep of the first place SAIT Trojans and some help on the out-of-town scoreboard in order to qualify for the ACAC Championship.
Red Deer would need to drop their final two games to St. Mary's next weekend, and Ambrose would likely need to drop one of two against Medicine Hat in order for the Broncos to have a chance to qualify.
The Broncos came out strong both offensively and defensively on Saturday afternoon at the Ralph Klein Center, with Paolo de Soto-Parente leading the charge with nine first quarter points.
The Broncos forced nine Briercrest turnovers and brought down seven offensive rebounds en-route to a 23-11 first quarter lead, despite going 0-6 from the three-point line.
The Clippers scored more in the first four minutes of the second quarter than the first combined, however they weren't able to keep up defensively as the Broncos continued to score at will, leading 36-21 four minutes into the quarter.
However the Broncos would quickly get back to their strong defensive ways, going on a 10-0 run on the strength of jump shots from Linden Jackson and Abe Murray to take a 46-21 lead.
Before the half was over the Broncos would cap off their 18-2 run and take a 54-23 lead into the locker room.
The Broncos slowed in the third, turning the ball over more often and struggling to find good shots. The Clippers played their best quarter of the past two nights, outscoring the Broncos 30-18 to narrow the gap to 72- 53.
The Broncos would pour it on in the final quarter though, outscoring Briercrest 33-24 to take a 105-77 victory.
Brandon Tolentino claimed The Pit Player of the Game Honours for the Clippers while Abe Murray won the honour for the Broncos.