By By SCOTT NOVAK / Niles Daily Star
NILES - Quickness and speed led to an easy victory for visiting Coloma Friday night at Brandywine High School.
The Comets used their athletic ability and quickness to dominate the Bobcats, 58-29.
Coloma (5-3, 3-0 Lakeland Conference) limited Brandywine to just one shot most of the night with a strong zone defense.
As a result, the Bobcats (2-5, 0-3 Lakeland Conference) had just 14 rebounds on the night.
Knapp also said that his team became frustrated and did not do a good job of being patient.
Coloma raced out to an 11-1 start and settled for a 15-6 first quarter lead.
First-year Comet head coach Brent Nate said that was one of the team's goals.
The Bobcats rallied early in the second quarter and cut the lead to 17-9 before the Comets tightened up their defense and became more patient on offense.
As a result the seven-point advantage they enjoyed midway through the period grew to 20 points at halftime, 31-11.
Another scoring spurt to start the second half sealed the deal for the Comets.
Coloma rolled off 10 straight points before the Bobcats found the scoreboard.
There was no getting back into for the Bobcats who were outscored 16-3 in the period and trailed 47-14 heading into the final eight minutes.
Brandywine did outscore the Comets in the final period, 15-11, but it was far too little.
Knapp did say that his players never quit and played hard throughout the contest.
Tyler LaVanway scored a game-high 19 points to lead the Comets, who also got 13 points from Ricky Fischer and 10 points from Kasey Weber.
Brandywine, which did not have a player reach double figures, was led by Caleb Frazier with six points. Matt Beaver scored five points, while Adam Prescott and Chris Casey both had four points.
The Bobcats head to Eau Claire for a non-conference game on Tuesday night.
In junior varsity action Friday night, Brandywine fell to Coloma, 43-35.
Denny Williams led the Bobcats with 13 points. Josh Benjamin added eight points.
The JV team will be back in action on Tuesday in Eau Claire.
COLOMA 58
Ricky Fischer 6 0-0 13, Tyler LaVanway 8 1-1 19, Anthony Musgrove 3 0-0 7, Jeff Gargano 2 0-0 4, Spencer Paulsen 1 0-0 2, Erving Warren 0 0-0 0, Chris Gopp 0 0-0 0, Kasey Weber 5 0-0 10, Blake Davis 1 0-0 2, Brian Saltzman 0 1-2 1, Phil Murphy 0 0-0 0. Totals: 26 2-3 58
BRANDYWINE 29
Justin Ely 1 0-0 2, Adam Prescott 1 2-4 4, Matt Wieger 0 0-0 0, Cory Barber 0 0-0 0, Billy McDonald 0 1-2 1, Caleb Frazier 3 0-2 6, D.J. Elrod 2 1-1 5, Chris Casey 1 2-6 4, Kyle Low 0 0-0 0, Matt Beaver 2 0-0 5, Ryan Hartman 1 0-0 2, Kevin Curran 0 0-0 0. Totals: 11 6-15 29
Coloma 15 31 47 58
Brandywine 6 11 14 29
Three-point baskets: Fischer (C), LaVanway (C) 2, Musgrove (C), Beaver (B). Total fouls: Coloma 17, Brandywine 7. Fouled out: None. Technical fouls: None. Varsity records: Coloma 5-3, 3-0 (LAC); Brandywine 2-5, 0-3 (LAC)