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(Photo/Alex Kielar) Joacim Fernandez posts up in the paint during the second half of the Buckaroos game against Peaster in which they were handed their first district loss Friday, Jan. 16. -
(Photo/Alex Kielar) Jaime Cruz goes up for a shot in the second half of the Buckaroos’ loss to the Peaster Greyhounds which was their first district loss Friday, Jan. 16. -
(Photo/Alex Kielar) Hudson Woodward defends against a Peaster Greyhounds player in the first half of the Buckaroos first district loss Friday, Jan. 16.
The Breckenridge Buckaroos matched Peaster early, but a wave of turnovers and transition points allowed the Greyhounds to pull away in a 69-29 district loss, the first of the season for the Bucks.
Breckenridge opened the game Friday, Jan. 16, with a midrange jumper from Jaime Cruz at the 6:26 mark. After Douglas White hit a free throw, Ryan Waller tied the game at 5-5 with a smooth eurostep finish at 3:18 as the Bucks were right in it. But Peaster closed the quarter on a 6-0 run, including a three-pointer at 2:59 and an and-one layup with less than 30 seconds left, taking an 11-5 lead after the opening quarter.
The second quarter unraveled quickly. Peaster scored repeatedly off steals and long rebounds, turning miscues into layups at 6:09, 5:44, 5:29, 4:58 and 2:29. Cruz kept the Bucks afloat with a layup at 5:53 and two free throws at 3:22. Conor Salazar then buried a three-pointer at 2:57. Hudson Woodward added a corner three off a Salazar assist with eight seconds left. But Peaster still carried a 31-14 lead into halftime.
The third quarter followed the same pattern, with the Greyhounds outscoring the Bucks 23-5 in the period. Peaster opened with free throws and a putback-and-one, then hit a second-chance three and another putback as the Bucks struggled to rebound.
Cruz delivered a highlight with a steal-and-one 5:10, and Joacim Fernandez added two free throws at 2:18, but Peaster’s consistent pressure pushed their margin to 54-19 after three.
Breckenridge continued to compete in the fourth. White hit two free throws, Cruz added two more a little later, then scored on a steal-and-finish at 4:20. White added another layup at 2:34 and Cruz added a putback at 1:02, but Peaster kept converting in transition to close out the win.
Head coach Brent Lucas said the Bucks simply never settled into a rhythm.
“We just never found momentum, really. We were having trouble holding onto the ball and getting shots in,” Lucas said. “We didn’t play well at all, particularly, but they’re a very good ball club. They bring guys off the bench and they don’t miss a beat.”
Lucas noted that Peaster’s scoring depth and playoff experience showed.
“They can all shoot – every one of them will score. We don’t have that right now. We’ve got maybe two or three guys who score pretty consistently,” he said. “And we didn’t rebound well like we normally do. A lot of that stems from how quick they are – quick off the floor, quick up the floor.”
With district play still young, Lucas stressed the importance of moving forward.
“The good thing is, we can shake this one off. It’s a 14-round fight, and we’re five rounds in – four we’ve won, one we’ve lost,” he said. “We get ready for Comanche on Tuesday at their place, and then we’ve got a huge one with Tolar at home next Friday. That’ll be a big game. That’s district play – welcome to it.”
