Comets basketball drops home opener

By Eric Wade

Daily Mail Sports Editor

The Cottey College Comets basketball team entered the season with a lot of questions to answer since head coach Dave Ketterman's squad returned just two players from last year's squad that finished the season with a record of 16-4.

The Comets got the chance to answer those questions for the first time Tuesday night, hosting the Allen County Community College Red Devils in the first real-game action the Comets have seen. Though the home fans were treated to an offensive showcase that featured two players scoring more than 20 points and four in double figures, Cottey was unable to come out of the night with a victory as Allen County had its way with the Comets defense in a 94-89 victory.

As the final score implies, there was no shortage of offense for the Comets in the contest, which was mostly sparked by the 3-pointer. The Comets finished the first half with the same shooting percentage from beyond the arc (7-for-12) as they put up from the free-throw line and ultimately finished the game making 10 of their 19 treys.

Even more impressive than the Comets' team shooting numbers from beyond the arc was the fact that those 10 treys were made by just two players. Kat Zumalt and Caley Shafstall ultimately turned out to be the two most productive players for the Comets on the offensive side of the ball as they both made five shots from beyond the arc in the contest and each finished with more than 20 points.

Zumalt led the effort for the Comets on the night as she finished with 28 points, followed by Shaffstall with 22. Webb City High School product Casey Heger wasn't far behind as she finished the night with 16 points and was joined in double figures by Linsey Denney with 12.

Things started off well for the Comets on the night as they couldn't seem to miss from the field in the opening half, missing a total of just 10 shots in 29 attempts. That offensive onslaught ultimately resulted in 52 first-half points for the Comets, but Allen County was far from out of it, taking a deficit of just eight points into the locker room.

The Comets' defense couldn't do much with Allen County's shooters throughout the night and it showed in the 44 points the Red Devils put up in the opening half. The Comets were better in transition, however, and took full advantage of that edge, tallying eight steals in the opening half.

The torrid pace Allen County used throughout the contest took its toll in the second half as the Comets simply couldn't keep up. The Red Devils used their new-found edge to near-perfection, opening the second half on a 14-0 run to take the lead for the first time and for good.

Despite allowing Zumalt and Shaffstall to combined for 36 first-half points, the Red Devils were clearly undeterred and held the pair to just 15 points throughout the rest of the night. It didn't help that the Comets' offense went cold as Ketterman's squad missed its first five shots from the field and went on to shoot just 13-for-36 from the field in the second half to finish the night at 32-for-65 overall.

That was all the edge the Red Devils needed to eventually work their way to a double-digit lead before taking a five-point victory.

With the loss, the Comets opened the season with a record of 0-1 and won't have to wait long for their shot at redemption as they are scheduled to be right back in action on Thursday, taking on the Missouri Valley College junior varsity squad. That contest is set to tip off at 6 p.m., in the gym at Cottey's Hinkhouse Center.