The second season starts Monday for the Boyd basketball programs. The Broncos and Lady Broncos will be taking part in the TSIAA tournament this week, with hopes of keeping their seasons going for as long as possible.
The Boyd Broncos, still in search of their first win, will start play Monday by traveling to face Franklin Christian Academy, while the Lady Broncos – by virtue of being the No. 2 seed in the South Division – will play at home Tuesday. Both will be trying to reach Saturday’s championship games, which will be played at Christian Community School.
Wins have stayed out of the grasp of the Broncos, but Boyd’s boys have made big improvements over the last month. Coach Chris Perry is hopeful his group can continue to make giant leaps now that the postseason is ready to begin.
“The message all year has been to be better in February than we were in November. While that hasn’t shown in the win column, it has in the score book and on film,” said Perry. “We certainly aren’t perfect, but we are better. Now the objective is to put the best version of ourselves out there at the best time.
“We’ll try to prepare to handle their ball pressure, in the full court in particular. And we will strive for more consistency in focus and execution.”
Boyd has seen a rise of late in scoring from junior Jordan Perry, who poured in 21 points in a recent game against Riverside. Towering post Dylan Vandeveer is also improving by the game and Connor Andrews and Jack Rhoton are developing their outside shots as well.
While the boys know their opponent, the Lady Broncos won’t find out their opponent until late Monday night. The Lady Broncos, winners of nine straight after beating FCA 45-40 Tuesday, will face the winner of Pleasant View and Zion Christian Tuesday at 5 p.m.
Boyd is hoping being at home will help continue the team’s recent run of great play. Senior Audrey Durham is coming off double-doubles in the last two games (16 points, 11 rebounds against FCA), while juniors Miranda Medley (17.6 points per game) and Laney Copeland (13.6 ppg) have been fueling the winning streak with their scoring.
The Lady Broncos have also leaned heavily of late on junior guards Paige Sweeten and Krista Chisam, along with junior post Emma Miller.
We are preparing the same way we always do, regardless of who we are playing,” said Lady Bronco coach Tim Page about starting the postseason. “We’re focusing on executing our offensive and maintaining our discipline on defense. We need to control the things we can control. We will take it one game at a time and give 100 percent on the court.”
With a win Monday, the Broncos would play again Tuesday in the TSIAA quarterfinals. The Lady Broncos can advance to the semifinals by winning at home Tuesday.
Both teams are also scheduled to take part in the NACA national tournament in Dayton later this month. Continue to check the Standard for the latest coverage of Boyd basketball.