By By JEFF FISHER / Vigilant/Argus
CASSOPOLIS - The Cassopolis Rangers dropped a tough Lakeland Athletic Conference game Tuesday night, as the visiting Comets scored a 64-61 at Ross Beatty High School.
Cass started the game with back-to-back buckets by Cass' Kevin Luckey giving the Rangers an early 5-0 lead. Coloma responded by two straight buckets to narrow the Cass lead 7-4. The Comets then took the lead at the 3:52 mark, however, the Rangers tied the game up as the first quarter ended, 18-18.
Coloma began the second quarter the same as Cass did in the first by hitting its first two baskets. The Comets took a five-point lead before John Young of Cass narrowed it to three points.
Coloma took a 35-29 lead at the 2:12 mark in the second, primarily on the post offensive play of Coloma's Jake Boven. Boven scorched the Rangers for 16 first half points as the Rangers had no answer for him.
Cassopolis went into halftime down 33-37.
The Rangers took an early 38-37 lead in the third quarter before the Comets made a comeback. Coloma's Milo Jeffries scored four points, and Jermain Murphy with six quarter points to open up a 49-42 lead and to lead at the end of the third quarter 37-33.
The Comets outscored the Rangers 14-11 in the quarter.
Coloma went on a 6-0 run to begin the fourth and stretched it's lead to 57-44. Luckey of Cass single-handedly brought the Rangers back. Luckey hit a three to make it a 61-53 lead at the 2:22 mark. A couple of Luckey baskets later, it was a 63-61 Coloma lead with 54.6 to in regulation.
Comets hit one free throw to give them a three point lead, then Cass called a time out. A shot by Luckey went off the rim as time had expired. Luckey scored 13 fourth quarter points, and outscored the Comets in that quarter.
The Comets were led in scoring by Boven with 18 points, Sebastian Lewis with 14, and Jeffries with 11.
The Rangers were led in scoring by Luckey with 30 points, Neal Bullocks with seven points, Will Loux and Renard MacNeal scored six points each.
The Rangers, currently on a three game losing skid will hope to reverse that as they will travel to Brandywine on Friday Feb. 4 in a LAC match up. Cass falls to 5-7 overall and 3-6 in conference action.