CHENEY – Back in the 2B boys state tournament for the first time since 2016, the No. 9 seed Lind-Ritzville/Sprague Broncos used strong defensive play in the second half to defeat No. 16 Dayton-Waitsburg 53-35 on Saturday afternoon.

“I thought it would be a grind-it-out game,” LRS Head Coach Dustan Arlt said. “They swarmed Chase (Galbreath) down low. The nerves – we didn’t shoot very well. We missed a lot of shots, fortunately so did (Dayton-Waitsburg) that first half.”

Sophomore forward Jayce Kelly finished the game with a team-high 23 points, 13 of which came in the fourth quarter to help the Broncos pull away. Kelly exited the game after an injury early in the fourth quarter, but came back two minutes later to ice the game away with six made free throws.

“Even if I’m hurt, I’m going to come out and do what I can,” Kelly said.

The Broncos started the game on an 11-3 run in just over six minutes of action, but the Wolfpack answered in the second quarter, eventually taking a 15-14 lead early in the second.

LRS was able to retake the lead later before halftime, and an and-one by senior Hayden Melcher moved the Bronco lead to five points with 36 seconds remaining in the first half.

“(Melcher gave) us that spark, and a role player giving us a huge play, we needed that,” Arlt said.

Dayton-Waitsburg was limited to just 14 points in the second half, and the Bronco shots finally began to fall.

“The intensity is what brought it all the way home,” Kelly said. “We were able to turn up on defense and hold them to their shots and out work them. Being able to do that is going to help us move farther.”

The Wolfpack struggled to move the ball against the stifling LRS defense in the third quarter, only scoring six points.

“For about 12 minutes in that half they scored about six points,” Arlt said. “Fortunately, we finally put it in enough in. It was tough, I give (Dayton-Waitsburg) a lot of credit, but it was a great win for us.”

Up by double digits late in the fourth, senior guard Hunter Dinkins drove to the basket through contact that generated a loud reaction from the Bronco crowd in the stands at Cheney High School.

“We tried to run a set play to our post, but I saw the drive lane was there so I took it,” Dinkins said. “I like driving, but I like to pass it (more). If it’s there, I’m going to take it. I’m mostly bigger and stronger than everyone, so I tried to use my body to get up and make contact to create space.”

Senior post Chase Galbreath used his six-foot-five frame to snag rebounds off the glass all game, which led to some easy LRS buckets in transition.

“It’s something that I take personally, that I know that’s what I’ve got to be day in and day out,” Galbreath said.

Kelly’s 13 points in the fourth quarter sealed the win in favor of the Broncos, who will move on to play in the Spokane Arena on Wednesday.

“To be able to come here and play with some of my closest friends and brothers, as a family, it warms my heart and it makes me want to compete even more,” Kelly said.

Many on the LRS roster remember the last time the Broncos made it to the 2B Boys State Basketball Tournament, including Melcher, Galbreath and senior guard Cooper Miller, who were all ball boys for the 2016 team according to Dinkins.

“In 2016 Ritzville made a state run and we grew up watching that,” Dinkins said. “We’ve been working to get there. We fell short last year, so going into this game our intensity was real high.”

Strong defensive play has been a common theme for LRS lately. Since their Feb. 6 matchup against St. George’s, the Broncos have held opponents to under 50 points in six-straight games.

“You give up 35 points in the state tournament, your odds of winning are pretty dang good,” Arlt said. “That’s been our thing lately.”

The Broncos will face off against No. 8 seed Adna in a loser-out game on Wednesday at the Spokane Arena. Tip-off is at 2 p.m.

Adna lost to No. 1 seed Davenport 75-60 during the regional round on Friday night.

“We’re going to play Adna, and they’re very guard-oriented as well and shoot a lot,” Arlt said. “It might be whoever can adjust to the nerves about playing at the arena and shoot in that kind of atmosphere.”

Defensive play will once again be key on Wednesday for LRS. Over its last six games, Adna is averaging 51.8 points per game.

“We definitely tightened up,” Galbreath said. “I think we have one of the best defenses in the state.”

Ian Bivona can be reached at ibivona@columbiabasinherald.com.