Comanche basketball splits games at Lone Grove

(Editor’s note: Details from this game were gleaned from the Lone Grove livestream broadcast.)

It was supposed to be a busy week for Comanche basketball but it turned into a one-and-done thanks to the midweek snowfall. The teams got their games in against Lone Grove last Tuesday, but games against Plainview and Riverside on Friday and Saturday were cancelled.

At Lone Grove, Comanche split its games with the Lady Indians getting a win and the Indians taking a loss. It was the second match-up this season against Lone Grove for both teams as they had faced Lone Grove at the Lindsay tournament. The Comanche teams won both of those match-ups.

The two teams will be returning to Lone Grove for the district and regional tournaments. Dates and times were not set as of press time on Tuesday.

Lady Indians 67

Lady Longhorns 48

Both teams had trouble with the others’ pressure defense at times which led to several turnovers throughout the course of the game, but in the end, Comanche (15-2) made fewer mistakes and a couple of big runs proved to be the difference.

For the second straight game, the Lady Indians found themselves with a 9-0 lead to open the game, but Lone Grove came charging back in the final four minutes, which led to two ties and four lead changes before Comanche settled for a 19-16 advantage at the end of the quarter.

The Lady Longhorns opened the second quarter with a three-pointer to tie the game, but the game would belong to Comanche the rest of the way. Led by Gracee Miller and Caity Blair, Comanche went on a 14-0 run. The junior and the senior combined for 12 of the 14 points during the run.

For Miller, the leading scorer for the Lady Indians, it was an opportunity to get her offensive game back on track after being limited to single digits her previous two games. Miller’s drives to the basket and getting out ahead of the defense on fast-breaks led to a season-high 32 points, which included going 6-for-8 at the free-throw line.

Comanche would go on to take a 35-25 lead into halftime.

A couple of three-pointers early in the third quarter allowed Lone Grove to cut the lead to 37-31, but once again, Miller and Blair led a run, this time an 8-0 run, that pushed the Lady Indians’ lead back into double digits where it would stay the rest of the game. The 8-0 run was part of a 17-2 run in the final six minutes of the quarter for Comanche that led to the Lady Indians enjoying a 56-34 lead heading into the final quarter.

Caity Blair was second on the team in scoring with 10 points. She was followed by Kylie Roden with 8, including two three-pointers; Briannah Keeling, 6; Kenley Lemons, 5; Kynli Morris, 4; and Keira Pineda, 2. 

Longhorns 53

Indians 48

Comanche nearly made up a 10-point deficit in the final quarter, but fell just short in the end. The Indians got within a basket with 44 seconds left in the contest, but they would get no closer.

The game had four lead changes and two ties throughout the first three quarters, but a half-court shot by Lone Grove’s J.J. Miller at the buzzer that found the basket and broke a 35-all tie to give the Longhorns a three-point lead heading into the fourth. It was a spark that started a 10-0 run by the Longhorns with all 10 scored by Miller and the Indians were never able to catch up after that.

Lone Grove led 14-11 at the end of the first quarter. Nine of Comanche’s points came from behind the three-point line as Dillon Ellis, Myles Ellis and Mason Kulbeth knocked down treys.

It would be one of four three-pointers on the night for Kulbeth, who finished with a team-high 16 points in the contest.

After scoring a combined 25 points in the first quarter, the teams could muster just 17 in the second with only four field goals made in the quarter. All other points came from the free-throw line. The Longhorns were able to build a 10-point lead in the quarter before settling for a 25-17 halftime lead.

With Lone Grove up 35-28 in the third quarter, Comanche went on a 7-0 run that took less than a minute to tie the game, but Miller’s buzzer-beater gave the Longhorns the lead back for good.

Dillon Ellis was second on the team in scoring for Comanche, finishing with 13 points. He was followed by Landon Ellis with 11, Myles Ellis with six, Hunter Lassley with two and Cason Morris with one.

Miller finished with 24 points to lead Lone Grove.