2008 Woodie Awards
Broncos ride high into tournament as No. 1 seed
KYE JOHNSON
Assistant Sports Editor
Issue date: 3/5/07 Section: Sports
- Page 1 of 1
A month ago, the Western Athletic Conference women’s regular season championship was Boise State’s to lose.
The Broncos were red-hot. They were off to a 9-0 start in conference play and they were closing in on school records while they were at it.
They had beaten multiple top-25 ranked teams and they demolished Louisiana Tech in Ruston, La. It was the first time La Tech had lost at home in nearly a decade.
Then that same La Tech team paid a visit to Boise for one of the most anticipated women’s basketball games in recent BSU history.
La Tech scored a big win on the road and Boise State’s season started to take a wrong turn.
BSU dropped three of its next five games, all three losses coming on the road. What seemed like a sure thing to win the WAC title was quickly turning into a desperate attempt to win games consistently.
But the Broncos were able to pull out two wins to end the season and clinch a share of the regular season title. A tiebreaker over La Tech allowed BSU to snag the No. 1 seed in this week’s tournament.
Amid player injuries, overtime losses and a little bump in the middle of the season, the Broncos were able to regain their swagger right in time.
A lot of focus was placed on the fact that BSU lost two starters due to injury and sickness during that rough stretch, and whether or not their absence had everything to do with the team’s losses is debatable. What hasn’t been debatable is the consistently-outstanding play of sophomore point guard Tasah Harris.
Harris averaged more than ten points per game for the season and led the team in assists with nearly three per contest.
During the stretch where the Broncos desperately needed someone to step up and turn into a star, she was there. Harris has played well in the past six games, averaging 15 points per game and adding more than three assists. She has quietly had one of the best seasons of any point guard in the WAC this season.
BSU heads into this week’s tournament with confidence from its two consecutive wins to end the season.
“We’re going to win that championship. That’s how I feel,” Jackie Thompson said. “We’re going to go down there and show everybody that Boise State is in the running. We’re going to get a little bit more respect and we’re going to show everybody that we’re here to stay.”
Jackie and Jessica Thompson have both been starting to play more during the final two games of the regular season, after they both missed a handful of games during the rough stretch in the middle of conference play. But with both players back, the team feels confident about where it is.
“It give us a lot of confidence to have a full team,” senior Michelle Hessing said. “Even though they might not bring all the minutes they have been used to, it’s just the attitude that we have confidence in them. We skipped a beat for a second, but we’re right back where we were when we left off.”
Not a bad time to be hitting your stride again if you ask most people. The Bronco players just hope they can translate it into success during the WAC tournament week.
The Broncos were red-hot. They were off to a 9-0 start in conference play and they were closing in on school records while they were at it.
They had beaten multiple top-25 ranked teams and they demolished Louisiana Tech in Ruston, La. It was the first time La Tech had lost at home in nearly a decade.
Then that same La Tech team paid a visit to Boise for one of the most anticipated women’s basketball games in recent BSU history.
La Tech scored a big win on the road and Boise State’s season started to take a wrong turn.
BSU dropped three of its next five games, all three losses coming on the road. What seemed like a sure thing to win the WAC title was quickly turning into a desperate attempt to win games consistently.
But the Broncos were able to pull out two wins to end the season and clinch a share of the regular season title. A tiebreaker over La Tech allowed BSU to snag the No. 1 seed in this week’s tournament.
Amid player injuries, overtime losses and a little bump in the middle of the season, the Broncos were able to regain their swagger right in time.
A lot of focus was placed on the fact that BSU lost two starters due to injury and sickness during that rough stretch, and whether or not their absence had everything to do with the team’s losses is debatable. What hasn’t been debatable is the consistently-outstanding play of sophomore point guard Tasah Harris.
Harris averaged more than ten points per game for the season and led the team in assists with nearly three per contest.
During the stretch where the Broncos desperately needed someone to step up and turn into a star, she was there. Harris has played well in the past six games, averaging 15 points per game and adding more than three assists. She has quietly had one of the best seasons of any point guard in the WAC this season.
BSU heads into this week’s tournament with confidence from its two consecutive wins to end the season.
“We’re going to win that championship. That’s how I feel,” Jackie Thompson said. “We’re going to go down there and show everybody that Boise State is in the running. We’re going to get a little bit more respect and we’re going to show everybody that we’re here to stay.”
Jackie and Jessica Thompson have both been starting to play more during the final two games of the regular season, after they both missed a handful of games during the rough stretch in the middle of conference play. But with both players back, the team feels confident about where it is.
“It give us a lot of confidence to have a full team,” senior Michelle Hessing said. “Even though they might not bring all the minutes they have been used to, it’s just the attitude that we have confidence in them. We skipped a beat for a second, but we’re right back where we were when we left off.”
Not a bad time to be hitting your stride again if you ask most people. The Bronco players just hope they can translate it into success during the WAC tournament week.
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
Mrs. Johnson
posted 3/09/07 @ 9:05 AM MST
Wow, how exciting for women's Bronco basketball! The only thing that could be more exciting is if the Arbiter sends you along to cover their games if they are scheduled out of town! That way we can all feel as if we're attending their future victories!
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