By By SCOTT NOVAK and ERIKA PICKLES / Niles Daily Star
BERRIEN SPRINGS - A fast start wasn't enough for the Brandywine Bobcats to earn a piece of the Lakeland Conference championship.
The Bobcats won the first game of the league tournament championship match, but fell to the Coloma Comets in three games.
Brandywine took the opening game 25-22 and were up 20-15 in the second game against the Comets before Coloma took charge.
The Lady Comets stormed back to win the second game 25-21 and then totally dominated the Lady Bobcats in the third and final game, 25-11.
Brandywine and Coloma both came into the semifinals after going 6-0 in pool play.
The Lady Bobcats defeated Edwardsburg in the semifinals, 25-17 and 5-18, while Coloma defeated Berrien Springs in its semifinal match, 25-17 and 25-16.
Against Edwardsburg, Brandywine starter Nikki Cooper rolled her ankle during the first game with the Lady Bobcats trailing 16-13.
Brandywine pulled together and outscored the Lady Eddies 12-1 to take the opening game.
Brandywine trailed 4-0 in the second game against Edwardsburg, but rallied to take control.
In the finals, Brandywine raced out to 20-15 lead only to have Coloma come charging back.
The Lady Comets tied the match at 20-20, however, Nikki Martyniuk's spike and Cooper's ace gave the Lady Bobcats a 22-20 lead which it would not relinquish.
In the second game the two teams battled back and forth with Coloma building up a 21-14 lead before the Lady Bobcats rallied.
Cooper served up five consecutive points as Brandywine cut the lead to 23-21 on a spike by Emily Whitney.
That would be as close as the Lady Bobcats would get however.
It was all Coloma in the deciding game.
The Lady Comets raced out to a 4-0 lead and never looked back, leading by as much as 22-9.
In reaching the finals, Brandywine defeated Bridgman (25-18 and 25-17), River Valley (25-15 and 25-19) and Berrien Springs (25-14 and 25-13).
Whitney finished with 82 assist, 33 digs, 27 kills, 10 aces and three blocks. Cooper contributed 30 kills and 30 digs. Katie Tuohy added 12 aces and three blocks, while Ashley Antus finished with 27 digs. Kelli Zache finished with 10 aces.