Broncos take down Trojans in Olds

The Olds College Broncos got into the win column for the first time in 2023, defeating the SAIT Trojans 68-58 at the Ralph Klein Centre on the first of Olds College's Make Some Noise for Mental Health game nights.

Blu Rose led all scorers with 24 points and 13 rebounds for the Broncos to earn Player of the Game honours, while Rio Yamazaki added 16 points and nine boards for the Broncos (6-7), who outrebounded the Trojans 49-29 in pulling to within a game of the final ACAC South playoff spot, held jointly by Ambrose and Red Deer.

For the Trojans (8-4), it was Brook Baker who led the way with 16 points and nine rebounds, while Kaleigh Sellars added 13 points and four rebounds; Vanessa Cormier earned Player of the Game honours for SAIT, who maintain second in the South.

The Broncos didn't trail after the 5:32 mark of the opening quarter, steadily building out a 22-18 lead after 10 minutes thanks to 14 combined points from Rose and Yamazaki. The second quarter was much tighter on both sides of the ball, but another eight points from Rose helped Olds College maintain its advantage, heading into halftime up 35-29.

After SAIT cut the deficit to four early in the third, the Broncos responded with a quick 7-0 run to push the lead into double digits. While the Trojans would put together an identical run later in the quarter, the Broncos ended the third up 51-44.

From there, the Broncos pushed the lead into double-digits early in the fourth, with their biggest advantage reaching 16 in the final 2:30. 

The two sides will square off again on Saturday at 1 p.m. at the University of Calgary.