ALBANY - Albany senior Nicolette Blumer walked off the court Tuesday with a balloon on her shoulder and a smile that would light up a gym packed with basketball fans.
Blumer stole the show by scoring a game-high 27 points to go along with five steals, leading the Comets to a 60-50 Senior Night win over Juda.
"I have never ever imagined a game like this," Blumer said. "Juda is in our regional. We knew we had to beat them to get a home game. It gives us a lot of confidence going into the tournament."
Albany (10-7, 6-3 Six Rivers East) used a 10-1 fourth-quarter run to open up a 13-point lead. Blumer drilled a 3-pointer at 6 minutes, 33 seconds in the fourth quarter to give the Comets a 42-32 lead. Albany sophomore Kaitlyn Schulz banked in a shot and Blumer scored down low with 5:15 left to give the Comets a 46-33 lead.
Juda (9-6, 3-5) chipped away at the lead. Juda junior Rachel Bartels caught fire in the fourth quarter and shot the Panthers back into the game. Bartels drained a 3-pointer to cut the Comets' lead to 50-40 with 3:32 to go. Juda junior Heather Boeke put back a Larissa Klemm miss and was fouled. Boeke converted the three-point play at the free throw line to pull the Panthers within 52-45.
Juda junior Brittany Riese drained a 3-pointer to cut the Comets' lead to 54-48 with 1:25 left. Albany withstood the Panthers' rally by making 6 of 10 free throws in the final 1:12.
The Comets used a 2-3 zone throughout the game to shut down freshman Ellen Kiser and Boeke. Boeke scored eight points and Kiser had four points to go along with 17 rebounds and three blocked shots. Klemm led the Panthers with a team-high 17 points and Bartels added 15.
Despite relying on a man-to-man defense all season, Albany worked on a zone Monday night in practice.
"We haven't played zone all year," Albany coach Mike Brunhoefer said. "I know they weren't happy," Brunhoefer said about his decision to play a zone.
"We don't have anyone big enough to guard her (Kiser). We went to a 2-3 zone and doubled down on her. She was frustrated. Juda is a good team and will only get better. We were just lucky to hold on in the end."
Juda coach Curtis Brown knows the Panthers will get better attacking the zone with more practice and time playing together.
"We have to learn if our posts are triple-teamed, we can't go in the post," Brown said. "They did a good job at the top of the zone of overplaying the passing lanes. If we could have played the whole game like we did at the end, we would have been well off. It seemed like we needed that sense of urgency."
The Comets raced out to a 12-4 first-quarter lead, which was sparked by a series of offensive rebounds. Albany sophomore Sydney Bump, who scored 14 points, scored on a slashing drive to the basket and Blumer scored on a putback after grabbing an offensive rebound to give the Comets a 12-4 lead. The Comets had five of their 11 first-half offensive rebounds during the 12-4 run. The second-chance scoring opportunities were back-breakers to the Panthers.
Juda closed the first quarter on a 10-4 spurt keyed by a Riese jumper. Blumer gave the Comets a lift at the end of the second quarter. After making two free throws, Blumer made a clutch steal and drove in for a layup to give the Comets a 27-21 halftime lead.
The Comets extended their lead in the third quarter with a 9-5 spurt. Bump scored on a layup and Blumer made a driving shot to push the Comets' lead to 36-26 with 3:05 left in the third quarter.
Blumer was excited with the defense the Comets played against the Panthers.
"We have kind of been up and down defensively all year," she said. "We knew we had to focus on Kiser because she is really good. It's Senior Night. I'm so proud because everyone stepped up their game immensely."
Blumer stole the show by scoring a game-high 27 points to go along with five steals, leading the Comets to a 60-50 Senior Night win over Juda.
"I have never ever imagined a game like this," Blumer said. "Juda is in our regional. We knew we had to beat them to get a home game. It gives us a lot of confidence going into the tournament."
Albany (10-7, 6-3 Six Rivers East) used a 10-1 fourth-quarter run to open up a 13-point lead. Blumer drilled a 3-pointer at 6 minutes, 33 seconds in the fourth quarter to give the Comets a 42-32 lead. Albany sophomore Kaitlyn Schulz banked in a shot and Blumer scored down low with 5:15 left to give the Comets a 46-33 lead.
Juda (9-6, 3-5) chipped away at the lead. Juda junior Rachel Bartels caught fire in the fourth quarter and shot the Panthers back into the game. Bartels drained a 3-pointer to cut the Comets' lead to 50-40 with 3:32 to go. Juda junior Heather Boeke put back a Larissa Klemm miss and was fouled. Boeke converted the three-point play at the free throw line to pull the Panthers within 52-45.
Juda junior Brittany Riese drained a 3-pointer to cut the Comets' lead to 54-48 with 1:25 left. Albany withstood the Panthers' rally by making 6 of 10 free throws in the final 1:12.
The Comets used a 2-3 zone throughout the game to shut down freshman Ellen Kiser and Boeke. Boeke scored eight points and Kiser had four points to go along with 17 rebounds and three blocked shots. Klemm led the Panthers with a team-high 17 points and Bartels added 15.
Despite relying on a man-to-man defense all season, Albany worked on a zone Monday night in practice.
"We haven't played zone all year," Albany coach Mike Brunhoefer said. "I know they weren't happy," Brunhoefer said about his decision to play a zone.
"We don't have anyone big enough to guard her (Kiser). We went to a 2-3 zone and doubled down on her. She was frustrated. Juda is a good team and will only get better. We were just lucky to hold on in the end."
Juda coach Curtis Brown knows the Panthers will get better attacking the zone with more practice and time playing together.
"We have to learn if our posts are triple-teamed, we can't go in the post," Brown said. "They did a good job at the top of the zone of overplaying the passing lanes. If we could have played the whole game like we did at the end, we would have been well off. It seemed like we needed that sense of urgency."
The Comets raced out to a 12-4 first-quarter lead, which was sparked by a series of offensive rebounds. Albany sophomore Sydney Bump, who scored 14 points, scored on a slashing drive to the basket and Blumer scored on a putback after grabbing an offensive rebound to give the Comets a 12-4 lead. The Comets had five of their 11 first-half offensive rebounds during the 12-4 run. The second-chance scoring opportunities were back-breakers to the Panthers.
Juda closed the first quarter on a 10-4 spurt keyed by a Riese jumper. Blumer gave the Comets a lift at the end of the second quarter. After making two free throws, Blumer made a clutch steal and drove in for a layup to give the Comets a 27-21 halftime lead.
The Comets extended their lead in the third quarter with a 9-5 spurt. Bump scored on a layup and Blumer made a driving shot to push the Comets' lead to 36-26 with 3:05 left in the third quarter.
Blumer was excited with the defense the Comets played against the Panthers.
"We have kind of been up and down defensively all year," she said. "We knew we had to focus on Kiser because she is really good. It's Senior Night. I'm so proud because everyone stepped up their game immensely."
