NMMI Sports Press

The Broncos drained 67 percent of their second-half shots on the way to a dominant 73-55 victory over the Frank Phillips College Plainsmen Monday night at Cahoon Armory.

Louie Yebra led all scorers with 18 points, going 6-for-9 from the field and 2-for-3 from behind the arc. He also made four of his five free-throw attempts.

"I thought Louie had his best game of the season tonight, and he's been playing great," said NMMI head coach Sean Schooley. "But we also had balanced scoring, everyone got involved and we started the second half much better, applying some pressure and we got going defensively."

In the last two home losses, NMMI struggled after halftime, but against FPC, the Broncos flipped the script.

In the first half, the Institute made just one 3-pointer and went 2-of-8 from the charity stripe as they trailed the Plainsmen 30-27 after the first 20 minutes.

But in the second half, the Broncos turned up the defensive intensity, leading to more easy buckets. They also improved their shooting percentages by a mile, hitting 4-of-9 deep shots and 14-of-18 free throws.

"I'm not a big 'must win' guy, but this was desperately needed," Schooley said. "When a young team doesn't see it go in the basket, the rest of it kind of falls by the wayside. We match up physically with other teams, but it's our inexperience that gets us in trouble. When we get stops like tonight, we don't have to work so hard on the other end."

The Broncos next three games are on the road against two nationally-ranked opponents and the recently-ranked Clarendon Bulldogs. The Broncos get a bye between road trips to No. 13 Odessa and No. 22 Midland.

"Our league is always the best in the country," said Schooley. "There's no gimmes from top to bottom, great coaches and exciting players. You can have a great team and finish fifth in this league and miss the playoffs."