By By JEFF FISHER / Vigilant/Argus
A late fourth quarter rally by the Lady Eddies wasn't enough as visiting Coloma defeated Edwardsburg 37-34 in a Lakeland Conference match up Thursday, Nov. 3.
The Comets opened the contest with a quick basket followed by a three-pointer to put them up 5-2 in the early going. The lead would later swell to 9-4, before the Eddies would make it a 9-5 Coloma lead after quarter number one.
The Comets' Andrea Balsis and Melanie Galles scored all of the Comets' first quarter, as well as their second quarter points.
The Eddies faced an early 10-7 deficit to begin the second quarter. A three-pointer by Galles opened up a 15-9 lead, but the Eddies narrowed the Comet advantage to four (17-13) going into the half.
Coloma took a 20-15 advantage before the Eddies' Stephanie Koontz hit a jumper to make it a three-point lead. Comets' Galles scored six third quarter points to give the visitors a 28-22 lead going into the final quarter.
The Eddies were not quite ready to throw in the towel.
Coloma maintained a 32-26 lead midway thru the quarter. Baskets by Koontz and Julie Harness cut the Comets' lead to 34-30, and a basket by Chrissy Breisch made it a 35-32 game with 1:36 remaining in regulation.
With the Eddies trailing 36-32, a technical foul was called on Edwardsburg, but the Comets only made one basket to up their lead to 37-32 with 37.5 seconds remaining.
The Eddies called a time out trailing by three points (37-34) with 5.3 ticks remaining, but they could not get a shot off as time expired.
The Eddies outscored Coloma 12-9 in the final quarter.
Coloma swept the season series against the Eddies.
The Eddies were led in scoring by Breisch with eight points, Kristin Toney added seven points including a three-pointer, and Koontz with six points and a blocked shot.
Galles paced the Comets with 14 points, Hannah Barrett with 12, and Balsis with eight points.
The Eddies, (6-12, 3-10 in LAC), play at Decatur on Tuesday and at Berrien Springs on Thursday before playing Sturgis in the opening round of the district playoffs.
The Eddies junior varsity team also fell to Coloma in a nail biter 43-42 in the game played earlier.
COLOMA 37
Andrea Balsis 3 0-0 8, Melanie Galles 2 9-14 14, Hannah Barrett 6 0-0 12, Jaymi Walters 1 1-2 3, Monica Hasse 0 0-1 0. Totals: 12 10-17 37
EDWARDSBURG 34
Julie Harness 2 1-2 5, Stephanie Koontz 3 0-1 6, Kristen Toney 3 0-0 7, Chrissy Breisch 4 0-0 8, Lindsay Moellenberndt 1 1-2 3, Kerri Wood 1 1-2 3, Kelsey Moreno 1 0-0 2. Totals: 15 3-7 34
Coloma 9 17 28 37
Edwardsburg 5 13 22 34
Three-point baskets: Balsis (C) 2, Galles (C), Toney (E); Total fouls: Coloma 10 , Edwardsburg 13. Fouled out: None