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The Combs girls’ basketball team entered the Jan. 27 game against Coolidge with both teams sporting identical 3 – 0 records and tied atop the Section V standings.
The Lady Yotes, boasting a season-beast No. 6 ranking, couldn’t overcome Coolidge’s aggressiveness, long-range shooting and rebounding in the 45 – 34 loss.
Combs, the No. 2-seed in the Section V Tournament will have a chance to avenge its only section loss as it will take on No. 3 Coolidge in a first-round game on Feb. 9.
“We had the game the plan,” Combs’ head coach Amanda Webster said after the Jan. 27 game. “We knew they were going to be physical, we knew they were going to throw those types of shots up that make it tough to get a rebound back. We had a game plan going in, but we just didn’t execute.”
The game plan looked to be working early as senior forward Landry Armstrong scored six of her game-high 14 points to help the Lady Yotes take a modest 8 – 6 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Lady Yotes’ senior Landry Armstrong (2) launches a three-pointer against Coolidge on Jan, 27.
But someone must have put a lid on the Combs’ basket to start the second quarter as evidenced by the number of missed shots, many of the close-range and layup variety. The Lady Yotes did not make a field goal in the second quarter, their only points coming on free throws – two each – by Armstrong and Cydnee Colpaert.
Coolidge on the other hand must have felt the basket was the size of a swimming pool, hitting long-range outside shots and getting other easy buckets. The Lady Bears outscored Combs 13 – 4 in the second quarter.
Webster couldn’t fault her team’s defensive effort, instead she credited Coolidge for getting hot from the field.
“Some of their shots were tough to get off the floor and to make,” she said. “They were making those difficult shots and ours weren’t falling.”
Coolidge guard Michaela Roberts, scored seven of her team-high 12 points in the first half, including six from beyond the three-point arc. She added another long-range three in the second half.
Roberts, a junior, was one of three Lady Bears to score in double figures. Rheanna Jackson (10) and Beyonce Beasley (11) were the other two.
The Lady Yotes trailed by as many as 15 in the second half and looked a little slow in transition, perhaps affected by the results from the night before in Payson, where they erased a 15-point third-quarter deficit before winning by two in the last seconds.
The team arrived home after 1 a.m., but Webster refused to use it as an excuse.
Coolidge increased its lead to 10 points at the end of the third quarter and ultimately outscored Combs 26 – 22 in the second half.
Ilaria Vesely (6) and Nikki Ruiz (7) combined to score 13 of those 22 second-half points.
A win against the Lady Bears would have likely secured the regular-season section title for the Lady Yotes, who are now a game behind No. 14-ranked Coolidge and tied with No. 4 Gilbert Christian, a team they beat earlier this season.
Despite the loss, the Lady Yotes can still win the regular-season title and the accompanying top-seed in the section tournament. They’ll need some help for that to happen, but first they have to make sure they don’t let the disappointment from the loss to carry over.
“All season we’ve talked about mistakes are going to happen,” Webster answered when asked how her team can avoid a letdown after its first section loss. “What shows a true player and a great team is how you react. I’d like to see how the girls’ turn around and answer on (Jan. 29) [against ALA].”
Upcoming schedule: Feb. 9 vs. Coolidge at ALA, tipoff is scheduled for 5:15 p.m.
Andrew Luberda began writing for Copper Area News Publishers (CANP) in February 2013 after working 15 years in Healthcare Financial Management. Andy covers sports for 11 high schools. His stories are published in Copper Basin News, San Manuel Miner and Superior Sun, in addition to the San Tan Valley Daily PRSS and CopperArea websites. Additionally, he has written human interest stories and business profiles. In May 2012, he earned an AAS in Sports Management at Central Arizona College before graduating with a BS in Communication from Arizona State University in 2014. He and his wife, Kelli, have three sons – AJ, Kyle, and Kade.
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