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(Photo/Alex Kielar) Conor Salazar was on fire from deep during Senior Night for the Buckaroos as he knocked down four triples and scored 17 points overall Friday, Feb. 13 against Comanche. -
(Photo/Alex Kielar) Jaime Cruz dribbles the ball in the opening minutes of the Bucks’ 63-42 win against Comanche, in which he was the second-best scorer for the home team on Senior Night, scoring 16 points. (Photo/Alex Kielar) Jaime Cruz dribbles the ball in the opening minutes of the Bucks’ 63-42 win against Comanche, in which he was the second-best scorer for the home team on Senior Night, scoring 16 points. -
(Photo/Alex Kielar) Douglas White drives into the paint in between two Comanche defenders Friday night, Feb. 13 on Senior Night as the Bucks defeated the Indians. 63-42. -
(Photo/Alex Kielar) The Breckenridge student section was electric on Senior Night, Friday, Feb. 13, as the Buckaroos handled the Comanche Indians, 63-42. -
(Photo/Alex Kielar) Ryan Waller knocked down two three-pointers and scored a total of 10 points for the Bucks on Senior Night as they defeated Comanche, 63-42, Friday, Feb. 13. -
(Photo/Alex Kielar) Gavin Harrison attempts to save the ball from going out of bounds as the senior got some playing time for the Bucks on Senior Night against Comanche, as they defeated the Indians, 63-42, Friday, Feb. 13.
The Breckenridge Buckaroos (18-13, 9-4) made sure Senior Night ended the right way, delivering one of their most complete performances of the season to roll past the Comanche Indians (4-29, 3-10), 63-42.
Hot shooting, swarming defense and contributions across the roster led to the domination Friday, Feb. 13. Head coach Brent Lucas said the team rose to the moment.
“We had a good showing from everybody. We shot the ball really well, and I thought we defended pretty well too,” Lucas said. “When you’re throwing a bunch of dudes in there on Senior Night, it can mess with the flow of the game a little bit, but that’s just part of it. I thought we played really well.”
Douglas White opened the night with a steal and layup, followed by a block by Gavin Harrison and a steal-and-score from Jaime Cruz. Christian Flores buried a corner three, and crisp ball movement led to a Cruz-to-White finish inside. The Bucks took a 13-10 lead into the second quarter.
The green and white started to take control of the game in the second quarter. Ryan Waller knocked down a corner three, Conor Salazar drilled one of his own and Cruz splashed a deep three from the top of the key. Salazar later added a fastbreak layup off a steal, followed by Joacim Fernandez knocking down two free throws to stretch the lead to 24-10. Waller and White each added a pair of free throws later to send Breckenridge into the locker room up 28-14.
The Bucks kept their foot on the gas in the second half, leaving little to no doubt in the final result. Waller opened with one of two free throws before White scored off another steal. Salazar hit another three from the corner and Waller dropped in another of his own from deep.
The defense-to-offense game plan continued as Cruz recorded another steal, leading to a layup. Salazar continued his strong scoring night with a putback shot and another three. White scored in the paint, and Cruz capped the quarter with a buzzer-beating heave to make it 49-29, sending the student section into oblivion.
Bry Armstrong scored on a putback shot early in the fourth quarter, Hudson Woodward hit a runner and Waller finished a layup after a Cruz steal. Flores knocked down a three from the wing and Salazar buried his fourth triple to continue his impressive night. Cruz scored again after a steal from Salazar as the Bucks closed out the 21-point win.
The Bucks now turn their attention to Tuesday’s district finale at the Tolar Rattlers, a matchup Lucas didn’t downplay.
“It’s a big one. We want to beat them,” he said. “We’re already in the playoffs and we’ll be the second-place team in Division 1, but we haven’t beaten those guys. They came here and beat us by nine. Last year, we went there and got them at their place. We’d like to return the favor before we change districts.”
While Tolar is still sorting out its seeding on the Division II side, Breckenridge’s path is clearer.
“We’re looking at Bowie on Monday, Feb. 23, but it’s not finalized yet,” Lucas said. “When it gets finalized, I’ll release it to everybody.
The Bucks will jump straight into bi-district selection the day after the Tolar game.
“Hopefully we’re represented well,” Lucas said. “We’ve got one game left, so we’ve got to get that done first.”
