Fatima (14-9) traveled to Belle and defeated the Lady Tigers, 38-31, on Thursday.

“This was a great come-from-behind win,” said Coach John Fick, the Lady Comets trailing 20-13 going into halftime. “The girls came out more aggressive in the second half. We had some open looks in the first half, but settled for those and never got an offensive rebound. We really emphasized getting the ball in the paint in the second half.”

That approach turned the tables in the third as Fatima won the frame 11-5 to set up the win. The Lady Comets closed out the contest with a 14-6 advantage in the final period.

Overall, Fatima shot 30.8% from the field, covering four three-point attempts and going 10-18 at the stripe, all in the second half.

The Lady Comets controlled several categories, including second-chance points (17-7), points in the paint (16-6), and rebounding (34-27).

Rylie Wieberg led the offense with 10 points, including a 4-6 mark at the FT line. “She makes her way to the rim; she’s physical and enjoys the contact,” said Fick.

Casey Kleffner (3 treys) added nine points, Kacey Brune (2-2 FT) added eight, Natalie Wilbers (trey, 2-2 FT) put in five, Adalyn Berhorst scored four, and Anna Struemph finished with two. Wilbers notched a team-high three assists.

Brune’s eight rebounds led the team, and Wieberg grabbed six, followed by Wilbers (5), Berhorst (4), Alex Berhorst and Brie Massman (2 each), and Jane Boyce, Anne Boyce, and Struemph (each with 1).

On the defensive end, Wilbers counted two steals, and Alex Berhorst, Kleffner, and Wieberg each had one; the latter also had a block.

On Tuesday, the Lady Comets played a hard-fought game against School of the Osage, but came up short, 57-52.

Alex Berhorst, Adalyn Berhorst (trey), Wieberg (trey), and Wilbers (trey) scored nine apiece. “I’ve always been impressed with how well the girls share the basketball,” said Fick. “They are very unselfish and really work together as a team; they don’t get caught up in their own stats or how many points they score; they all truly put the team first.”

Fatima trailed 25-21 at the break and faced a 44-32 deficit by the end of the third.

In the final quarter, Fatima pushed hard and made up ground, outscoring the Lady Indians 20-13, but it wasn’t quite enough.

Fick credited Osage for a great effort. “They seemed to get every 50/50 ball that was available and every loose ball; everyone rebounded, and any pass they could get their hands on, they were getting it,” he said. “In these close games, every possession matters; they just had more possessions than we did.”

The Lady Comets hit six three-pointers and covered 12-19 at the line while shooting 31.1% from the field.

Also scoring were Struemph (2 treys) with seven, Kleffner (trey) with five, and Brune and A. Boyce, each with two. Wilbers led with four assists, and Alex Berhorst had three.

On the boards, Alex Berhorst was solid with nine rebounds, followed by Wieberg and Adalyn Berhorst (6 each), Wilbers (4), A. Boyce (3), Brune (2), and Massman (1).

Wieberg posted five steals to pace the squad, Wilbers added four, Alex Berhorst chipped in three, and Kleffner, Brune, and Adalyn Berhorst finished with one apiece. Wieberg and Adalyn Berhorst also had a block each.