Comets outlast Monti in Bellevue

Bellevue 62, Monticello 52

   It was hot start offensively for both sides in Bellevue, as the teams combined for 41 points in the first frame. After trailing by seven at halftime, the Panthers battled but fell to the Comets 62-52.

   “I thought we did a better job rebounding and we did a nice job of attacking the basket at times,” Monti coach Donnie Kremer said. “We have to work on our communication, and we need to work on valuing our possessions.”

   Karley McCombie got the scoring started with a three, before Halle Recker got the Panthers on the board, 3-2. Kenzingten Scheckel converted an old-fashioned three-point play for the Comets to put them up 8-2, then a three from Mallory McElmeel and a pair of free throws from Kennedy Hermsen brought the Panthers back to within one, 8-7. After a flurry of threes from both sides, the Comets held a 23-18 lead after one quarter.

   McElmeel and Scheckel traded buckets to start the second quarter and, after a timeout from each team, a Recker three, followed by a Cadence Veach basket and a score from Kenya Davis-Robinson, the Comets took a 29-26 lead into halftime.

   A 1-for-2 trip to the charity stripe for MaKinley Scheckel made it 30-26 to start the third quarter, but a triple from McElmeel put Monti down by one with. 6:03 left in the third quarter. The Panthers hung close in a back and forth third frame, trailing just four, 41-37, after three quarters.

   A triple from McCombie started the fourth quarter and sparked a quick 6-0 Comet run that put them ahead 10, 47-37. A basket-and-one for McElmeel cut the lead back to seven with 5:58 left, then a bucket from Kennedy Hermsen and a triple from Peyton Ries put the Comet lead at just two, 47-45, with 5:18 left to play.

   Bellevue answered with a McCombie three and a basket from Kenzingten Scheckel to put their lead back to eight and force a Monti timeout with 4:14 left.

   Hermsen cashed a three with just under two minutes to play to put the Panthers down nine, 58-49, but a pair of free throws from Kenzingten Scheckel and a bucket from MaKinley Scheckel moved the score to 62-49 with 46 seconds left. McElmeel knocked in a triple with 27 seconds, but the Comets held on for the 10-point conference win.

   “Kennedy is our most experienced player, and she is our senior leader. I figured she would score for us, and she has done just that,” Kremer added. “Mallory has been a pleasant surprise in the scoring column. We will need her to continue to score, as well as others, in order to be competitive.”

(at Bellevue)

Bellevue..... 23    6  12  21  62

Monti......... 18    8  11  15  52

TEAM STATISTICS

                       Monti   Bell.

FG Made-Att........... 18-53  21-51

3PT Made-Att........... 8-27   7-14

FT Made-Att.............. 8-14  13-20

Rebounds...................... 33      33

Assists............................. 14      17

Steals.............................. 15      14

Blocks................................ 3       1

Turnovers....................... 25      24

Fouls............................... 14      16

MONTICELLO STATISTICS

Points (FG Made-Att) – Kennedy Hermsen 23 (7-17), Mallory McElmeel 12 (4-12), Halle Recker 9 (4-9), Kenya Davis-Robinson 6 (2-5), Peyton Ries 2 (1-7)

Three-pointers (Made-Att) – Hermsen 4-11, McElmeel 3-6, Recker 1-3, Kayla Arduser 0-2, Ries 0-5

Rebounds – Davis-Robinson 8, McElmeel 6, Recker 5 Hermsen 4, Ries 4, Kylee McElmeel 2, Arduser 1

Assists – Mallory McElmeel 5, Ries 3, Recker 2, Hermsen 2, Arduser 1, Kylee McElmeel 1

Steals – Mallory McElmeel 5, Recker 4, Ries 3, Hermsen 2, Kylee McElmeel 1

Blocks – Ries 1, Davis-Robinson 1, Kylee McElmeel 1

RIVER VALLEY CONFERENCE

Boys Basketball Standings

        North Division

TEAM                      Div.      Ovr.

Bellevue                    1-0        5-1

Cascade                    1-0        3-2

Maquoketa               1-0        3-2

Camanche                1-0        2-3

Monticello              1-1        3-2

Anamosa                  0-1        2-3

Beckman                   0-1        2-3

Northeast                 0-1        1-4