Fatima won its first two games of the season, running away from Vienna 53-32 in last Monday’s game after edging Versailles by seven.

The Comets carried the first half against Vienna, 20-9, and a strong third quarter (19-7) effectively put the game out of reach.

Fatima shot 35.3% from the floor and 83.3% at the FT line (10-12).

Blake Kliethermes was perfect at the line (6-6) and posted a team-high 14 points to go with 10 rebounds, two assists, and a steal. Ty Brandt was hot from the outside with four treys for his 12 points, Devin Luebbert scored nine while grabbing six rebounds, and Xavier Stuecken (trey) added seven points (2-2 FT), with seven rebounds, four assists, two steals, and two blocks.

Also scoring were Bryce Wieberg (5 with a trey), Evan Klouzek (3, trey), Cash Mengwasser (2), and Henry Robertson (1).

Fatima’s JV squad claimed a 54-53 win over Vienna.

The Comets started strong, scoring 16 points in the first quarter and held a five-point lead at halftime.

“We had a sluggish third quarter and fell by seven points,” said Coach Cooper Kleffner. “Two of our sophomores fouled out late in the fourth quarter and the freshmen came through strong and started pressuring Vienna.”

Jack Wieberg hit a three-pointer to tie game with about a minute left and then hit the game-winning free throw with six seconds remaining to take a one-point lead.

Trent Stuckenschneider led with 18 points (6 treys), and Luke Jaegers added 10 points off the bench to lead the Comets.

Fatima opened the year with a 67-60 win over Versailles.

“This was an interesting opener for us as we knew it would be an up-and-down affair,” said Coach Baker. “Versailles wants to play as fast as possible, and they force that tempo with a full-court trapping press.”

The Comets held a two-point edge through the first half, 38-36, extending the lead slowly through the second half en route to the win.

“Given our overall youth, I was very pleased with how we handled the chaos,” said Baker. “The game started faster than I would have liked, but we were making shots, though we did get sucked into the tempo a little bit.”

In the second half, the Comets switched up their defense and slowed the game down, managing to push out to a double-digit lead.

Down the stretch, Fatima covered shots from the line, which pleased Baker, as the Comets overall went 12-21 from the stripe.

Coupled with 47.1% shooting on the night and seven three-pointers, Fatima pulled out the win with three players reaching double figures.

Stuecken led the attack with 19 points, going 3-4 at the stripe, and finishing with two three-pointers. Kliethermes added 18, including a pair of treys, and a 4-8 mark at the line. He added three rebounds, an assist, and a steal.

Henry Robertson was also effective, hitting a trey and going 3-4 at the FT line for his 10 points, as Luebbert put in nine (trey), Klouzek posted eight, and Brandt finished with a three-pointer. Robertson led with eight assists, as Klouzek dished it thrice, and Stuecken shared it twice.

Luebbert had a team-high eight rebounds, followed by Stuecken (6), Robertson (5), and Brandt (2).

Defensively, Stuecken, Klouzek, and Luebbert posted a block apiece.

In the JV game, Fatima battled but lost, 45-34.

“We played an action-packed game and they pressed us 92 feet the entire game,” said Kleffner. “When you go play Versailles, you know what to expect. It was good for the young freshmen to get thrown into the fire. Cash Mengwasser led with 13 points.