Leading the way in scoring for the Lady Broncos in the recent win over Bethel-Tate was Bailie Darnall with 15 points. Above, Darnall shoots from the foul line during the Lady Broncos’ runner-up finish in the Brown County Holiday Classic Tournament.

By Wade Linville –

Wins haven’t come easy for the Western Brown varsity basketball squad this season, but they continue to show signs of improvement as the season rolls along. On Jan. 9, the Western Brown Lady Broncos, a team with only three seniors, were able to find success while playing host to the Bethel-Tate Lady Tigers, claiming a 53-38 victory in a bout that saw them trailing 13-12 after the first quarter of play.
The Lady Broncos were able to outscore the Tigers 18-9 in the second quarter to hold a 30-22 lead at halftime.
The Lady Broncos went on to outscore the Tigers 23-16 in the second half to seal the 15-point victory.
Leading the way in scoring for the Lady Broncos was one of their three seniors, Bailie Darnall.
Darnall buried four shots from inside the arc, drained one three-pointer, and connected on four-of-five attempts from the foul line to finish with 15 points.
Western Brown’s junior guard Cana Kleemeyer also put together a good night on the offensive end to finish with nine points, burying two shots from inside the arc, sinking one three-pointer, and burying two-of-two attempts from the foul line.
Western Brown senior Kaitlyn Huseman finished with eight points, while junior teammate Maddy    Whisman contributed with five points.
Rounding out Western Brown’s scoring in the Jan. 9 win were Tessa Pinkerton, Rylie Young, Taylor Barthel, and Gracie Fischer with four points each.
Leading all scorers in the contest was Bethel’s Haylee Foster with 18 points.
Pleased with his team’s performance in the win over Bethel, Western Brown varsity girls basketball coach Dennis Overstake pointed out that there are still many improvements that need to be made before the start of post-season tourney play.
“They are still trying to find their way,” Overstake said of his Lady Broncos.
The Lady Broncos were back in action on Wednesday, Jan. 11, suffering a 43-24 loss to the Amelia Lady Barons in a Southern Buckeye Athletic/Academic Conference American Division contest.
The Lady Broncos were scheduled to be back on their home court Thursday, Jan. 19, as they play host to the Goshen Lady Warriors in a SBAAC American Division battle.