Comets keep Penn Valley close for a half

By Joe Warren

Nevada Daily Mail

For one half of the game Tuesday the Cottey Comets were running stride for stride with possibly the best women's basketball team in Region 16.

The Comets were using a balanced attack that featured six different players scoring, and only trailed Penn Valley 32-27 going into halftime at the Hinkhouse Center.

Then the visitors started flexing their muscles. More importantly, the Comets started missing their shots.

Cottey went more than 10 minutes in the second half without scoring a point.

The dry spell allowed Penn Valley to go on a 27-0 run and suddenly the game was out of reach.

Bolstered by the run, Penn Valley went on to win 66-40.

"We played well in the first half," Cottey coach Dave Ketterman said. "In the second half we were getting good looks, we just missed them."

The Cottey coach did everything he could to snap the Comets out of their funk, changing offenses numerous times.

"We just were ineffective the first 10 minutes of the second half. We ran everything we've ever run," Ketterman said.

The kitchen sink approach didn't help, but after the dry spell, the Comets still didn't give up. They outscored Penn Valley 13-9 the rest of the way.

Ketterman was happy with the way his team played defensively throughout the game. He also thought the effort was there on offense, but there were no points to show for it.

"I thought our kids competed well, holding Penn Valley to 66 points," Ketterman said. "There's no substitute for offense. You can only defend for so long."

The Comets were led by Traci Melton's eight points, as seven others also found the scorebook.

Penn Valley ended up with three players in double figures, led by Jackiesha Davis, who scored 13.

Cottey fell to 6-18 this season with the loss.

The Comets will be on the road Saturday as they travel to play Hesston. Hesston beat Cottey in Nevada earlier this season on a last-second shot.

"I'm hoping we'll show up with our shooters loaded," Ketterman said.

The next home game for the Comets is Tuesday when they host Ozark Christian College. Tuesday's game will be the final home contest for the Comets and the last chance to catch this season's team at the Hinkhouse Center.