What a week of basketball for the Lady Comets, who defeated Eldon on Saturday, 74-61, to win the 64th Legends Bank Holiday Classic in Linn in unusual fashion.

“It’s not very often that you lose a game in a tournament and still get a chance to compete for the championship, but that’s exactly what our girls did,” said Coach John Fick as the Lady Comets lost to Linn in the opener and defeated the Lady Cats in the semis to advance to Saturday’s game.

In Fatima’s fifth game of the week, a tough stretch for any team, the girls scored more than 20 points in three of the four quarters, a five-point third being the only aberration.

“With five games in five days, I wasn’t really sure how the girls would be moving,” said Coach John Fick. “I guess they weren’t tired, though, because they came out ready to go.”

The Lady Comets shot 65% from the field in the first half and knocked down seven threes, finishing with 10 for the entire game. “So far this season, I felt our girls have been getting decent looks; we just weren’t knocking them down, so it was a nice change of scenery to see a few go in.”

Fatima players shared the ball, with four finishing in double figures. Alex Berhorst, named to the All-Tournament team, averaged 13 points in the tournament and scored a game-high 20 in the championship. She drained two three-pointers and went 4-6 at the line.

Elise Dickneite (3 treys, 2-2 FT) added 13. “Elise came up big time,” said Fick. “What doesn’t show up in the stat sheet is what impresses me most. She sets the tone; she’s physical, down in the paint, boxing out, diving on the floor to get the ball, and really brings the energy for everyone.”

Natalie Wilbers, who averaged eight points to earn All-Tournament honors, scored 12 in the title game with a trey to her credit. “Natalie’s leadership was a huge factor for us last week,” said Fick.

Casey Kleffner also scored 12, with three long-range baskets. “Casey had a really good tournament,” said Fick. “She defended really hard and came up with a few huge steals for us late in games.”

Kacey Brune (trey, 6-8 FT) added nine points. “Kacey had a nice tournament as well, going after offensive rebounds and getting putbacks,” said Fick.

Brie Massman (trey) put in five, and Rylie Wieberg went 3-4 at the stripe for her points. Kleffner had a team-high three assists, and Wilbers, Berhorst, Brune, and Adalyn Berhorst added two apiece.

Fatima defeated Linn on Friday to advance to the championship, 49-45, avenging a 41-39 first-round loss to the Lady Cats.

“We were able to seal the deal and get the win,” said Fick. “It was a tough battle all night.”

With three minutes to play, Fatima stretched the lead beyond a one-possession game in a matter of 45 seconds. Adalyn Berhorst got an offensive rebound and a putback, then the Lady Comets got a steal, and Alex Berhorst made a layup. After another steal, Adalyn Berhorst knocked down a three-pointer, which was enough of a run to propel Fatima to the win.

Alex Berhorst (4-8 FT) led with 124 points and eight rebounds, as Kleffner (trey, 3-5 FT) put in 12 points, followed by Wilbers (trey, 2-2 FT) with seven, Adalyn Berhorst (5), Dickneite and Wieberg (4 apiece), and Brune and Anna Struemph (2 each).

Brune added six rebounds, and Adalyn Berhorst and Wilbers each collected four.

In their first meeting of the Legends Bank Holiday Classic, Fatima had trouble in the close game against Linn. “I thought our girls played really well; we just couldn’t finish at the rim,” said Fick. “We gave up too many offensive rebounds, and the Linn girls were right there to put it back up.”

Alex Berhorst led with 12 points, followed by Wilbers (trey) and Kleffner, each with eight, Adalyn Berhorst (3-4 FT) with five, and Dickneite, Struemph, and Jane Boyce, each with two.

On the glass, Adalyn Berhorst’s seven rebounds led the way, as Wilbers grabbed five, and Alex Berhorst had four.

Fatima went to the loser’s bracket and defeated Helias Catholic’s JV squad, 57-24, and then Versailles on Thursday, 47-37.

“In those games, the girls really focused on pushing the ball down the court and attacking the basket,” said Fick, noting the team shot a combined 36 free throws (11-15, 10-19). “I was happy to see the girls be so aggressive.”

In the game against Helias, Alex Berhorst posted 15 points with a trey, Kleffner (trey) added 11, and Dickneite (2 treys) scored nine, followed by Adalyn Berhorst (4-4 FT, 6 points), Brune (5), Massman and Grace Borgmeyer (each with a trey for 3 points apiece), Wilbers (3-4 FT) for three, and Addison Bower (2).

Against Versailles, Wilbers hit three from long range en route to a team-high 13 points. Wilbers (3-3 FT) added nine, followed by Brune (6), Struemph and Kleffner (4 each), and Dickneite, Massman (trey), and Alex Berhorst (trey, 3 apiece).