Cottey Comets drop home finale, 73-67

Cottey's Casey Heger goes for two during Saturday's final home game of the season against the St. Louis Community College Lady Archers.

Freshman Deborah Holcomb scored 14 of her team-leading 18 points in the second half to lead St. Louis Community College to a come-from-behind victory, 73-67, over the Cottey Comets Saturday afternoon, in the gym at Cottey's Hinkhouse Center.

The Comets scored the first seven points of the game and held a 37-33 lead at halftime, before the Lady Archers tied the score early in the second half. After five lead changes, St. Louis pulled away for the six-point win to improve to 16-7 for the season.

Freshman Casey Heger led the Comets with 19 points -- 12 in the second half. Freshman Caley Shaffstall added 17, including 12 during the first half, as the Comets closed out the regular season with an 11-12 record.

In another NJCAA D-II, Region XVI game Saturday, North Central Missouri defeated Wentworth's Lady Red Dragons at Lexington, Mo., 90-76, and the Lady Pirates will be the No. 1 seed in next weekend's regional playoffs at State Fair Community College, in Sedalia, Mo. Saint Louis is the second seed, Cottey's the third seed and the winner of a "play-in" game Tuesday night, between Penn Valley and Wentworth, at Lexington, Mo., will be the fourth seed.

The regional semifinal games -- Cottey vs. St. Louis and North Central vs. the Wentworth-Penn Valley winner are to be played Saturday afternoon, with the winners advancing to the championship game Sunday.