Show Basketball Championship Gunnison Valley News Wednesday March 24 1999 Page 14 Broncos Finish Second in State 2A Championship Taken from the March 10 1999 edition of The San Juan Record The San Juan Broncos came w uhin one game of claiming a rare footbal 1hasketball state championship sweep when they suffered loss to the Gunnison Bulla dogs in the 2A state championship game on March 6 at Southern Utah University in Cedar City The loss of the championship game capped off a 2 3 season for the Broncos whose only losses came to a 5A team from El Paso Texas the Duchesne Eagles and the champions from Gunnison “I wish it would have ended said Bronco Coach differently” Derrick Farr still smarting from the defeat at the hand of Gunnison ‘‘However” he added "it was the best we could do that night We were where everyone wanted to be” Last season the Bulldogs lost their longtime head ?oach Danny Hill to one of the ugly parent player rebellions that occasionally flare up At that time Farr wrote a letter to The Gunnison Valley News in support of Hill Farr stated that the San Juan Broncos would dedicate this season to Hill Little did Farr know that he would be facing Gunnison in the champion- in favor of time score was Gunnison In the third quarter the Broncos tied it at 28 and at 30 on baskets by Zeb Crofts Crofts got into foul trouble and had to leave the game Danny Flannery came in and in scored a basket to make it favor of Gunnison At that point Gunnison built a lead with a play by Hansen and a shot by Hill and suddenly the Broncos trailed by seven Brad Thornton’s basket and Ronnie Nieves’ cut the Bulldog lead but a basket and shot put Gunnison up by seven The Broncos went cold at this point scoring only one basket--m by France 1:39 remaining in the third reuntil there was 3:15 quarter maining in the game During that time Gunnison built the lead to twelve points It was at that point when the Bronco sharpshooters came alive Nieves hit a and Nielson drained a shot SpottedElk did not score a point in the second half until there were only two minHe made up for utes remaining lost time by putting on a shooting clinic and wowing the crowd SpottedElk scored 5 points in the final two minutes with four shots and three free throws A shot by France Nielson cut the Gunnison lead to with 45 seconds remaining but freethrows sealed the Bronco defeat and the Gunnison championship SpottedElk lead the way with 3 points including nine Nielson and Nieves each scored ten Flannery scored five and Crofts and Thornton each added two The Broncos made nine shots and 3 shots The Gunnison give a cheer! Bulldogs KmT i 'I i Championship V f met at center J sn 'A court all season long to T-Shir- ts! CHAM ship game The story of the championship game was Gunnison’s superior height compared to the superior fire power of the Broncos Sheldon SpottedElk lit up the scoreboard diainingevery shot insights on his way to 31 points in the championship game Sheldon missed four attempts in the first quarter and didn’t miss many after that as he drained nine shots In the championship game the Broncos built an early lead on a basket by Ronnie Nieves and a shot by SpottedElk However the Bulldogs fought back and took advantage of their inside play to slowly build a lead With two minutes left in the first half a play gave the lead However Bulldogs a SpottedElk kept the Broncos in it first with a rare play after he was fouled while shooting a and then with another shot The half a (S? Only IB (LQ OH OH LQ 0 0 0SG5ETD d2 Cg S Now Available at Gunnison High School! $1(01 Get Yours Before We Run Out! ©mly $1® |