Fatima played a solid game last Monday but came up short to Eldon, 49-45.

“Overall, I was very proud of the boys and their effort,” said Coach Matt Baker as the team committed just six turnovers. “We turned a double-digit deficit around and were even going into the fourth quarter.”

With an overall mark of 35.4% from the field, the Comets hit five three-pointers and covered 6-13 at the line. Fatima trailed 15-9 at the start of the second quarter, and used a 20-15 edge to make it a 30-29 score at the break.

A low-scoring third quarter (6-4) gave way to a tight final frame in which the Comets kept it close.

Blake Kliethermes led the offense with 17 points, including a pair of three-pointers and a 3-6 FT performance, as Xavier “Chet” Stuecken added 12 (2-5 FT), followed by Henry Robertson (2 treys) with eight, Evan Klouzek (5), and Noah Wilbers (3).

Kliethermes grabbed a team-high seven rebounds, followed by Bryce Wieberg (4), Robertson (3), Klouzek and Stuecken (2 each), and Wilbers and Trent Stuckenschneider (1 apiece).

Defensively, Stuecken and Kliethermes had two steals each, and Klouzek had one to go with a block; Stuckenschneider also posted a block.

Devin Luebbert wasn’t in the rotation, which put Fatima in a position to play a couple of younger guys. “I thought Noah and Trent did a nice job,” said Baker. “At one point, we had two seniors and three freshmen on the floor for long stretches. Obviously, we want to start turning these single-digit losses into wins, and hopefully these experiences help us do that moving forward.”