Cold First Half Costs Busters in 91-85 Loss at Cloud

Photo by: Adam Shrimplin/Garden CIty Athletics

Concordia, KS – Garden City Community College men's basketball dug itself a deep hole early Wednesday night and nearly climbed all the way out, but Cloud County held on down the stretch as the Broncbusters fell 91-85 at the Arley Bryant Gymnasium.

The loss completed a season series sweep for the Thunderbirds and dropped Garden City to 17-11 overall and 12-10 in KJCCC play.

The story of the night started with a first half the Broncbusters would like to forget. Garden City endured its worst shooting half of the season, struggling to find rhythm from the opening tip. Shots that normally fall for the Busters rimmed out, looks in transition wouldn't drop, and the offense never fully settled in. Cloud took advantage of the cold stretch and gradually built separation, carrying a 42-29 lead into the locker room.

While Garden City's offense sputtered early, Cloud controlled the game in the areas that ultimately made the difference — on the glass and inside the paint. The Thunderbirds dominated the rebounding battle 43-27, generating extra possessions and second-chance opportunities that steadily widened the gap. Although Cloud shot just 2-of-10 from three-point range, they consistently scored around the rim and built a strong edge in paint points, forcing the Busters to battle uphill for most of the night.

To Garden City's credit, the second half looked like a completely different team. The Broncbusters came out aggressive, played with better pace, and began chipping away possession by possession. Mangok Gach was a steady force on both ends and helped keep Garden City within reach throughout the comeback effort, finishing with a team-high 19 points on efficient shooting while battling inside and protecting the rim.

The Broncbusters also started getting production from the perimeter after the break. Xavier Johnson caught fire from deep and finished with 17 points behind five made threes, while Dasean Lewis added 16 points and four assists as Garden City's offense finally found its flow.

As the minutes ticked down, the Busters continued to apply pressure — stacking stops, converting in transition, and making multiple pushes to tighten the game late. Jordon Nevill knocked down four threes on his way to 14 points, and Nico Doume added 14 points on near-perfect shooting around the basket as Garden City kept threatening to make it a one-possession game.

But every time the Broncbusters gained momentum, Cloud answered. The Thunderbirds leaned on strong interior production and timely responses to Garden City's runs, and the early differences proved costly in the final tally. Despite the strong second-half surge, the Busters ultimately ran out of time, with Cloud closing out the 91-85 win.

Next Up: Garden City heads to Colby on Saturday the 28th, tipoff at 3:00pm