Lady Indians overcome slow start to win Comet Classic consolation

VELMA - Down 14-3 at the end of the first quarter, the Comanche Lady Indians' chances of winning the consolation championship of the Comet Classic seemed slim. The Velma-Alma Lady Comets had outplayed the Lady Indians in the first eight minutes, but Comanche found its rhythm in the second quarter and got some momentum. The Lady Indians continued the momentum the rest of the way to down the Lady Comets, 36-30, on Saturday.

“Our calling card is our defense, and I felt like when we got stops in the second quarter then our offense got going,” said Braydon Robinson, Comanche head coach. “So, that was our conversation at the end of the first quarter, we need to move the ball more on offense and trust each other on defense. And we did. We strung so stops together and got some buckets.”

Comanche is now on a modest two-game winning streak after starting the season 0-4. They went 2-1 in the Comet Classic. They lost to Davis in the first round on Thursday before picking up a win over the Cache JV on Friday.

“These girls worked hard, so it’s hard telling them to keep doing the little things, we’re going to be fine,” Robinson said. “But when losses start stacking up, they start to think maybe he’s loony. They’re starting to dig in, but these girls work extremely hard, so its nice to see them get paid off here.”   

Down by 11 early in the second quarter, Comanche got a spark when Jillian Hushbeck got a steal and hit teammate Jaylee Roebuck in stride down the court. Roebuck laid the ball, starting a 17-2 run to finish the quarter. Raelee Ellis played a big part in the run, scoring eight of the 17 points, including a three-pointer.  She would finish with a game-high 12 points.

The Lady Comets fought back in the third quarter as the teams exchanged the lead twice. Comanche senior Jentry Whaley stepped up, breaking a 24-all tie with back-to-back three-pointers to give the Lady Indians the lead back for good. Comanche would go on to take a 30-25 lead into the final quarter.

Velma-Alma cut the lead to 30-28 at the start of the fourth quarter. Maicee Combs then hit a mid-range jumper for Comanche with 3:32 to go to make it a two-possession game that would stick for the rest of the way.

Scoring

Comanche (2-4): Raelee Ellis, 12; Jentry Whaley, 11; Cassidy Smith, 5; Jaylee Roebuck, 4; Maicee Combs, 4

Velma-Alma (2-4):  Azya Pemberton, 10; Makenna Oliver, 8; Presley Condit, 8; Abby Pollock, 2; Sterling McLain, 2

Friday

Comanche 48,

Cache JV 24

Comanche outscored the Cache JV 25-8 in the second half, including a shutout in the fourth quarter to cruise to the win and its first victory of the season.

Comanche led 13-9 at the end of the first quarter and 23-16 at the half.

Scoring

Comanche - Raelee Ellis, 14; Jillian Hushbeck 8; Cianna O’Connor, 6; Jaylee Roebuck, 6; Jentry Whaley, 3; Maicee Combs, 3; Drai Sparks, 2

Cache JV - Kailee Turner, 11; Nylee Smith, 5; Madison Lenna, 2; Nylee Benson, 2; Madalyn Thomason, 2