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Photo credit Eyes of Joe Photography submitted by Amanda Darmos
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AMHERST, OH – Every young great team needs to start somewhere. Every track star needs to take that first step and every basketball legend needs to make that first shot. Tonight, the Amherst squad took that first step towards bigger and better things with a 48-35 victory over the North Olmsted Eagles. Great things take time, but when they happen, it is worth the wait!
7 different Comets scored tonight, 4 of them freshman. They won the first three quarters handily, and then eventually the game. Kristen Kelley led the Comets with 12 and was a monster on the boards. Kayla Ferancy also scorched the nets for 12 and continues to look like a star on the rise. Peyton Roberts got hot early and set the tone, she would finish with 11. Natalie Pleban and Bradyn Silvasy each had 4 while Jules Gedling had 3 and Jocelyn George and Ava Darmos had 2 each.
The Eagles were paced by Brooklyn Beeman with 14. Beeman also scored in every quarter tonight and appears to be a strong presence for the Eagles in the games we’ve seen her play this year. She is only a junior. Amber Thomas also looked strong with 6 while Jenna Cvijovic had 7 on the night.
It was a wild first quarter that saw the Eagles jump up 5-2 following a Brooklyn Beeman 3 pointer. From there however the next several minutes were all Comets as they began to unload. Using a trap defense and then constant ball movement, the Comets went on a 14-0 run to take a commanding 16-5 lead.
The 14-point run was highlighted by three balls from Kristen Kelley and Peyton Roberts. For Roberts, she had 5 of her 7 first quarter points during that great stretch. The Eagles would storm back scoring 8 of the next 10 points to end the quarter with the Comets on top by a score of 18-13. Four freshmen Comets (Silvasy 4, Roberts 7, Kelley 3, Ferancy 4) accounted for all 18 Comet points.
The second quarter began with another Comets run, this time extending the lead to 23-13. Coach Jay Valadez would use fresh legs and substitute 4, sometimes 5 players at a time and it was working. They used the new energy to build the lead even bigger to 31-15 with constant movement and sharp play. Kayla Ferancy had 4 more during the stretch, while Roberts cashed in 4 herself, Pleban 2 and Kelley 3.
Everything seemed to be working! I also noticed that playing Jocelyn George down on the block aside Kelley created quite the front court for the Comets. Those two working together down low can only get better as they grow. I see big things for that particular duo underneath as the years develop. The defensive effort by the Comets was noticeable as they held the Eagles to just 4 points in the quarter for a 33-17 halftime lead.
The Comets would use a “Grab and Go” offense not to be confused with the Little Caesars “Hot N Ready”. Although, much like a piping hot pizza, the Comets scoring was every bit as hot! They would get a rebound and floor it down the court in the third using excellent transition offense to score.
They simply out ran and then also outhustled the Eagles on the boards to build a 46-24 lead after three quarters that the road team simply wouldn’t be able to recover from.
Kelley had 6 more in the quarter, sandwiched around buckets from George, Ferancy and Pleban combined with a Gelding foul shot to put the game out of reach for good. The constant switching of pace and ball movement was far too much for the Eagles to cope with.
You knew the night belonged to the Comets when early into the fourth, Kayla Ferancy made a spinning, almost backwards runner while getting fouled. It was just that kind of night for both squads. The Comets would go on to win 48-35. These two teams will hook it up again tomorrow in North Olmsted and we will be live from the Nest for the call.
Photo credit Eyes of Joe Photography submitted by Amanda Darmos