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Show THE SAN JUAN RECORD Wednesday, February 23, 2000 - Page 9 05'I 7? LOOK roncos race to San Juan Bronco bas-fa- ll team swept to victory, claiming the southeast interregion title on February 9 at Southern Utah University in Cedar City. With the win, the Broncos suddenly find themselves as the favorite in the 2A state tournament, where they open Thursday morning at 10 a.m. against the Manti Templars. The Broncos relied on dominating inside play in a strong team performance to win three games and claim the inter re17-1- gion championship. They opened the tournament against the Beaver Beavers, and faced a scare before winning The following day, the Broncos faced the Parowan Rams. They fell behind 4 at halftime but dominated the second half on the way to a 1 victory and a spot in the championship game against East region rival Duchesne Eagles. Duchesne has been ranked near the top of the 2A rankings for most of the season but fell 54-4- 4. 20-1- 48-4- twice to the Broncos in the regular season. While conventional wisdom is that it is tough to beat a good team three times in a row, the Broncos won in convincing fashion, The championship game was a replay ofearlier games as the Broncos came on strong in the 52-3- 7. second half, outscoring and securing Duchesne the win. The Bronco squad is a team that relies on strong play from a variety of players, however opposing coaches agreed that senior guard Platte Nielson was the heart and soul of the team. As a result, Nielson was named most valuable player in the tournament. He is joined on the team by John Tate and Zeb Crofts. The look of the 2A state tournament will be much different than anticipated. Central region teams have dominated the state rankings all season. However the top two teams from the central region, North Sevier and Juab, didnt even qualify for the state meet as both were 35-1- 9 The San Juan Broncos celebrate a second straight inter-regio- n championship inter-regio- n eliminated in their inter-re- gion tournament. As a result, the Broncos have to be considered to be top seed entering the tournament. They will face a tough test, however as they open against the Manti Templars. Manti has come on strong in recent weeks and has to be considered one of the top teams in the state. INTER-REGIO- TOURNAMENT BOYS RESULTS N Entamma 60 frrt Emarorraa 82 55. Grand 33 Duchesne 71 San Juan 1st Oucheane 2nd Beaver 4l l.an In the first game of the interregion tournament, San Juan was led by John Tate who scored 18 points. Ryan Palmer added 10, Zeb Crofts and Platte Nielson each scored eight, and Eric Whitehorse INTER-REGIO- N scored seven. 5? TOURNAMENT GIRLS RESULTS Kanati 45 Against Parowan, Nielson led all Broncos with 14 points, and Zeb Crofts added 10. In the championship game, Nielson led the way with 15 points. Bronco coach Derek Farr praised the play of Ryan Palmer, who scored eight points and pulled down 17 rebounds in the championship 3 ' fWheme Millard 48 Beaver 4Ui Beaver 58 Enterprise 1st Pviwai 61 Millard 2nd Harowar 3rd MoulM-eH- 39 game. championship Buckaroo Clint Adams avoids a charge and scores two. Scott Boyle photos Buckaroos Matt Pehrson, Jacob Hout, Ian Burtenshaw, and Clint Adams (dark uniforms fight for a rebound in a tough loss. l- -r) Buckaroo Jen Redd torched the nets for 57 points in three games. Platte Nielson scores two on the way to MVP. Buckaroos Kirsten Andrews and Vicki Tracy apply defensive pressure. (l-- r) |