Bronte High School basketball coach Rocky Rawls said his team has been trying to stay under the radar this season.

It worked for a while.

But after you win 22 games in a row, people tend to take notice.

The Longhorns finally broke into the Class 1A state rankings this week at No. 25, and they showed why at home Tuesday against Veribest.

Displaying outstanding teamwork with an assist on seemingly every basket, Bronte took control of the game and ran away with a 62-42 win.

Bronte improved to 22-1 overall and 5-0 in District 14-1A.

The Longhorns haven't lost since their first game of the year, a 69-53 setback against TLCA.

"We've just been trying to keep under the radar and do our thing because we don't know what our identity totally is right now," Rawls said. "But we're playing well."

The Longhorns returned two starters -- Shawn Puentez and Tanner Bedford -- and four other lettermen from last season's team that went 21-9 and reached the second round of the playoffs.

With a noticeable lack of height on the team and only seven players on the roster, Bronte didn't seem like a likely candidate to reel off such an impressive winning streak.

For Rawls, however, expectations were high.

"These kids, when they were in junior high they could play," Rawls said. "I knew that size was going to be a problem. And at some point, when we start playing 6-5 kids, it's going to hurt us, no doubt. But these kids have played together since junior high, and they share the ball so well. That's the key to our success.

"We'll pass up a good shot to get somebody else a better shot. They're very unselfish and they play hard."

Trailing 10-9 late in the first quarter, Bronte pieced together a 23-2 run to take command against Veribest.

Bronte led 24-12 at halftime and 43-26 after the third quarter.

Jaxon Chantrill led the way with 23 points. Puentez had 16 points and dished out numerous assists. Jackson added 12 points.

Bronte will play at Coke County rival Robert Lee on Thursday to complete the first round of district play.

The Longhorns' path to a district title has a big obstacle Jan. 26 when defending champ Garden City visits Bronte. The Longhorns edged the Bearkats 38-34 in their district opener in Garden City last month.

For Veribest, the Falcons began the night in a three-way tie for second place, and they're still sitting in a tie for third at 10-5 overall and 3-2 in district.

With a game at home against Garden City on Friday, Veribest faces another formidable test.

The Falcons played well for stretches Tuesday against Bronte. They were led by Dominic Herrera, who had 12 points, followed by Dalton Briley, Jayton Warren and Zach Bolin, all of whom had eight points.

"In the first quarter, I thought we came out and did what we wanted to do," Veribest head coach Steven Hayes said. "We wanted to slow it down and take care of the basketball. And at the end of the first quarter, it was 12-10, and I'm good with that. We wanted to keep it out of (Bronte's) hands as long as we can, because they can shoot. They can light up the gym."

Hayes said he believes his team is capable of pushing for the playoffs down the stretch.

"We haven't made the playoffs since 2008 or 2009, and we're right there," Hayes said. "I feel like any night we can play with anybody in the district. We're right there. We lost a close one to Water Valley, but we're ready. And we're ready for Garden City on Friday. That's a big game for us."

Bedford goes coast to coast

Chantrill finishes strong

Bronte off and running

Puentez finds Jackson after nice cut

Herrera hits from downtown