Bulldogs finish strong behind big performance from Toomey, defeat Broncos 82-55
Junior guard Mackenzie Toomey (0) rings the victory bell after a successful game against the Hastings Broncos Wednesday night.
Photo credit: Courtney Wright
By Darien Semedo
The No. 7 Concordia Bulldogs (22-5, 16-5) move one step closer to locking up second place in the Great Plains Athletic Conference with 82-55 win over Hasting Broncos (13-14, 9-12), behind double-double from Junior Mackenzie Toomey.
The Lincoln East High School product enjoyed arguably her best game of the year, pulling the Bulldogs out of an early slump. Toomey would have 14 points by the end of the first half and nine rebounds. Mostly known for being a downhill player, Toomey made the Broncos pay for leaving her open. She would hit three to six from the three-point line, leading to her finishing with 21 points and 13 rebounds on the night.
Head Coach Drew Olson credited her with attacking the Broncos game plan of leaving her open and having courage.
“I thought Toomey was great,” said Olson. “They had a game plan to basically like take their big post and sit her in the land and clog the lane and not guard Toomey and she was awesome you know. Stepping up having the courage to knock down shots and just be a really smart basketball player today.”
Unfortunately, the Bulldogs came out slow again, something that Olsen has noticed, but their in-game adjustments have been great all year. After allowing 17 points in the first, the Broncos were held to adding just 12 points in the second and third quarters, and 14 in the fourth quarter. As a team, the Broncos shot 30 percent from the field, and a rough four to fifteen from the free throw line. The Bulldogs also forced 14 turnovers, eight of which were steals. Olson credited the players for understanding the other team and making them play into their weaknesses.
“Two defensively, I thought we did a really good job in the second half,” said Olson. “We understood who they were, take away their shooters, and take away their drivers and they really struggled to score because of our team effort.”
On offense, The Bulldogs shot began to fall in the second half, hitting 11 second half threes. They hit 39.4 percent of their field goals and made 15 threes on the night. Juniors Kendal Brigham (15) and Taysha Rushton (11) joined Toomey as double-digit scorers. Brigham made all five of her threes in the second half as they began to open the floodgates on the Broncos. The Bulldogs bench unit also outscored the Broncos 36-13 on the night.
The Bulldogs will now prepare to close out the regular season against the Midland Warriors (7-20, 4-17) in Friedrich Arena. The night will also mark senior night for the Bulldogs. The team is currently two games ahead of third and fourth place in the GPAC standings, so they will be the second seed in the GPAC Tournament behind No. 1 Dordt University. Olsen and the Bulldogs will now look to complete the season on a high note with high expectations heading into the postseason.
“Overall, each player understanding how they contribute to the team and bringing it to every single game is what I’m looking for. We got a really good team, and when we are clicking, we are hard to beat.”
