Fatima knew going into Friday’s game against Mansfield it would be a tough go as that team had amassed a 23-0 record. However, the Comets held their composure in a 58-53 win.

“This felt like a district type of game,” said Coach Ryan Robertson. “Mansfield is a very big, physical, and talented team. We knew it would require a lot of grit to stay in this one.”

Fatima fell behind through the first quarter, 17-12, but the Comets were never rattled.

On the night, Fatima shot 48.8% from the floor, converting 17-28 from the short floor and 3-13 from three-point range. At the line, the Comets were 15-23.

“Easy baskets were at a minimum,” said Robertson. “Mansfield is excellent defensively, and even when you get something clean, they are long enough and athletic enough to challenge you from the help side. We were able to execute enough down the stretch to come out with a win. It was a complete team effort.”

Fatima used a 20-11 advantage in the second quarter to make it a 32-28 score at the break. In the third, Mansfield cut the lead by one, but the Comets were strong in the fourth, winning the frame 15-13 to pull out the win on the road.

“Easton (Haslag) and Jack (Robertson) did an excellent job on their best player, and it seemed everyone was engaged defensively,” said Robertson. “Everyone hit critical shots at some point during the game. We will use this as a springboard going into the last two games before districts.”

Scoring was relatively even among the top four as Nate Brandt posted 15, including a 7-10 stretch at the line, while Cooper Kleffner went 4-6 at the stripe and hit a trey on his way to 13. Levi Robinson added 10 (2-2 FT) as Matt Robertson (trey) put in nine, followed by Haslag (7) and J. Robertson (trey, 4).

Fatima also did a good job sharing the ball as Kleffner posted five assists, followed by M. Robertson and Robinson (2 each), and Haslag, J. Robertson, and Brandt (1 apiece).

M. Robertson led with six rebounds as Robinson and Haslag grabbed five apiece, and J. Robertson, Kleffner, and Brandt collected three each.

Brandt held the lead with four steals, and the Robertson brothers added two apiece.

On Thursday, the Comets wasted no time setting up a big win over Russellville, opening the game with a 26-0 run en route to a 73-48 victory.

“We were able to experiment with a couple of things from that point forward,” said Robertson, whose team led 46-22 at the half. “Despite not playing the greatest second half, our guys held on to the early lead they built.”

Fatima shot 45% from the floor, with a 5-27 mark from the outside and a 14-15 performance at the FT line.

Haslag led with 18 points, as Kleffner buried three treys and went 3-6 at the line as he scored 14. Brandt (trey) was 3-3 at the stripe and finished with 14 as well.

Also scoring were M. Robertson (trey) with eight, J. Robertson, who hit a trey for his points, and Max Stuecken (2). M. Robertson directed traffic well, finishing with a team-high six assists. Robinson and Brandt each added four, Haslag had two, and J. Robertson, Blake Kliethermes, and Kleffner finished with one apiece.

Robinson’s six rebounds led the team as Brandt, and M. Robertson snagged five each, followed by Kleffner (4), M. Stuecken and J. Robertson (2 each), and Haslag, Sam Struemph, and B. Kliethermes (1 apiece).

Brandt had a solid night with three blocks and two steals, as Robinson added a block and two steals. Haslag topped the steals category with five, Kleffner added three, and M. Stuecken, Kayden Struemph, J. Robertson, and B. Kliethermes each had one.

In the JV game, the Comets defeated the Indians 50-21. S. Struemph led with 10, followed by B. Kliethermes (8), Brody Troesser and M. Stuecken (6 apiece), Colten Scheulen and Logan Kliethermes (4 each), and Jace Eisterhold (2).

“This was by far the best defensive effort we’ve had this year, and for it to be our fourth game in as many days shows the toughness of this group,” said Coach Ethan Williams.

Last Tuesday, Fatima defeated Eugene 82-36.

“This might have been one of our better efforts so far this season,” said Coach Robertson. “The guys did a really good job pressuring the ball and disrupting Eugene’s flow. Combine that with hitting some open shots, and it made for a good night. Our kids were locked in for this one, and the results showed that.”

After the first quarter, the Comets held a 24-11 lead, which continued to build. At the half, Fatima was up 46-20, and a 31-9 third quarter sealed it.

In perhaps the best offensive performance this year, the Comets shot 68% from the floor, covering 26-35 (2PT) and 8-15 (3PT) while going 7-12 from the line.

Robinson led all scorers with 22, Brandt put in 14, M. Robertson (2 treys) added 13, and J. Roberson (3 treys) finished with nine, followed by Kleffner (trey, 5), M. Stuecken (trey, 3), K. Struemph (2), and B. Kliethermes (1). Kleffner racked up eight assists to pace the squad as M. Robertson, and Robinson added three each, Haslag, J. Robertson, and Brandt each had two, and B. Kliethermes finished with one.

Kleffner also had a team-high six rebounds, followed by Robinson (4), M. Robertson and J. Robertson (2 apiece), and Haslag, K. Struemph, Brandt, and B. Kliethermes (1 each).

Haslag posted four steals, Robinson, Kleffner, and Brandt each counted two, and L. Kliethermes, J. Roberson, and B. Kliethermes added one apiece.

The JV Comets won 73-48 after jumping to a 19-12 lead through the first quarter and 35-22 at the break.

S. Struemph led the Comets in scoring with 22, followed by B. Kliethermes (19), Troesser (14), M. Stuecken (8), L. Kliethermes (5), Eisterhold (3), and Xavier Stuecken (2).

“The guys really moved and shot the ball very well,” said Coach Williams.