The Boyd Broncos have had little time to rest over the weekend and the schedule won’t slow down for the rest of January.
The Broncos played two games in the span of three days, losing to Monterey at home Saturday 69-62 and getting throttled 82-42 by Van Buren County on Monday night.
Boyd dropped to 4-13 overall this season as the Broncos have struggled when playing against TSSAA competition.
After last season, Boyd decided to drop from the TSSAA and enter the Middle Tennessee Athletic Conference. The results have been better as the Broncos have picked up four wins in the new conference, more than the previous two seasons combined.
But the drop-off has been when Boyd plays its former rivals. Monterey edged the Broncos at home on Saturday night despite great efforts from three Boyd players.
Senior Brody Fernandez continued his recent stretch of great basketball by scoring 25 points against Monterey.
Fernandez got scoring help from sophomore Christian Barrett, who pumped in 16 points, and senior J.T. Morgan finished with 14.
Fernandez did most of his damage from short range as the senior sliced into the heart of the Monterey defense to score. Barrett was the team’s outside threat as he drilled three 3-pointers on his way to a double-digit scoring night.
Morgan, who is closing in on 1,000 points in his career, went 10-for-11 at the free-throw line to get most of his points.
In the end, the Broncos were forced to foul to extend the game and Morgan’s over-aggressiveness ended up backfiring.
On a loose ball, Morgan reached to foul a Monterey player and grabbed him by the waist. The referee deemed the act to be an intentional foul, a call rarely seen in the final seconds as teams go into foul mode.
The call gave Monterey two shots and the ball back and ended any chance of Boyd making a miraculous comeback in the final seconds.
The road trip to Van Buren County for Boyd ended with much less drama than the last time a Warren County team traveled up the mountain, but the outcome was just as ugly.
The Broncos were beaten by 40 points as the Eagles took a 20-point lead after the first quarter. Though Boyd held its own through the second and third quarters, the final outcome was the team’s worst loss of the season.
The few highlights for Boyd came from Fernandez, who scored 24 points, and seventh-grader Phillip Brock.
Brock has played the past two games with the Broncos after the team was left with six players following Christmas break.
Despite being five years younger than most of his opponents, Brock gave his all for Boyd against Van Buren County and his hustle was rewarded in the second quarter.
Brock received a pass from Fernandez on the right wing and made his way into the lane. With the Eagle defense closing in, Brock took a running start and floated a shot over the defense which touched nothing but net.
Fans from both schools erupted in cheers as Brock connected on his first high school basket and was met with a high five from Boyd coach Chris Sullens when he left the game shortly after.
In the loss to Van Buren County, Morgan added 12 points, leaving him 33 points away from the milestone he has been chasing all year.
Coach Sullens praised the effort of his team despite playing in a game where it trailed by double figures nearly the entire time.
“We didn’t shoot well from three, but our guys never quit and continued to play hard,” said Sullens. “Van Buren County has a quality team. We kept fighting until the finish.”
The Bronco schedule didn’t ease up as the team hit the road last night to play Holloway High School. Results weren’t available at press time.
Boyd will take the rest of the week off before coming back next week with four games in five nights.
The first game will be a home contest against Holloway on Tuesday, Jan. 24. Action will begin at J.K. Stanley Gym at 6 p.m.