For much of the first half, it looked like the Cottey Comets were still on Winter Break. Cottey came out slow, and looked like they were half-asleep at times on Thursday night. They did find their stride in the 2nd half however, pulling away for a 72-41 victory.
The Pioneers from Crowley's Ridge College won the first quarter 16-15, powered by a spectacular shooting performance. The Pioneers went 4-6 from the 3-point line in the quarter to snag the early lead. For Cottey, it was Dally Coulter doing work on the inside to keep Cottey from falling too far behind, putting up 6 first quarter points. Cottey struggled from beyond the arc for most of the game, going 0-5 in the first quarter. Coach Evan Belk made wholesale changes near the end of the quarter, bringing in a full slate of players off the bench. An And-1 bucket by Lesley Chalmers finally kickstarted the crowd and brought life back into the building for Cottey.In the 2nd quarter, Cottey's defensive effort stepped up, limiting Crowley's Ridge to 8 points in the 2nd quarter. While the Comets only put up 14 points in the quarter, it was enough to take a 29-24 lead into halftime
After the break, the Comets took over. Sarah Hunt put up 8 points in the 3rd quarter, matching the Pioneers total for the quarter. The 3-pointers finally began to drop as well, with Hunt and Claudia Hadlock each banking two triples. The 4th quarter was a little slower pace, but with a comfortable lead, Cottey saw out the 31 point victory getting some starters rest before another home tilt on Saturday.
Dally Coulter led all scorers with 12 points in the contest, adding 7 rebounds and an assist to the cause. Sarah Hunt was the only other Comet in double figures with 10, but 11 Comets would points on the board in the contest. The most efficient Comet on the night was Sara Montesdeoca, who was perfect from the field on her way to 9 points. Akyria James put up 5 assists to lead the offense, while Brecklen Morrison had 3 blocks on the defensive end.
The win lifts the Comets to 11-4 Overall, 7-2 in American Midwest Conference play.
Cottey turns their attention to a top of the table matchup with Williams Baptist on Saturday in the Hinkhouse Center. The 1pm tip will see two of the Top 4 squads in the AMC battling for conference tournament positioning. Fans can get a special treat by listening to the contest on radio with local sports broadcaster Mike Harbit. He will be broadcasting play-by-play action on Sunny 99.9 FM and AM 1240 KNEM, and on audio stream at https://us7.maindigitalstream.com/4890/ .
