For the Coventry Comets, it was a beginning to forget and nearly an end to remember.
For the Springfield Spartans, it might be the exact opposite.
The Spartans failed to hold on to a 31-point first half lead but, despite allowing the Comets within two in the final 40 seconds, did manage to do enough to hold off Coventry for a 72-68 win on Jan. 30.
Springfield did everything right over the first 12 minutes of play, stretching a 17-1 lead in the first quarter to a 34-3 advantage.
“We played well in the first half,” Springfield head coach Jack Morgan said. “But we quit playing the last four to five minutes.”
Coventry’s Zach Sherbourne halted the Spartans’ run when he hit his only three-pointer of the night with 3:48 to play in the half. Jake Frounfelker hit another at the three-minute mark, and the Comets began to whittle away at Springfield’s lead through the quarter, riding a 14-8 advantage to a 42-20 halftime deficit.
“They did a good job in the second half of getting us to play their style of basketball,” Morgan said. “They played our style the first half, but we played theirs the second half.”
The Comets continued their strategy in the second half, narrowing Springfield’s lead to 12 points with 4:10 to play in the third quarter before Springfield’s Ryan Hershberger (21 points, nine rebounds) grabbed an offensive rebound and scored, drawing a foul in the process and completing the and-one.
“They came out in the third [quarter] like we did in the first,” Coventry head coach Roger Reynolds said. “We came out and responded real well.”
The Spartans appeared to collect themselves through the remainder of the third quarter and most of the fourth, maintaining a double-digit lead until the final two minutes.
With 1:55 to play, Coventry’s Traynell Brown (15 points, four rebounds) hit a three-point shot to cut the lead to nine at 68-59. The Comets cut it to eight on a put-back basket with 1:13 to play, and the Spartans lost the ensuing possession out of bounds for a turnover.
That’s when Alex Tackett (22 points, five three-pointers) took over, hitting back-to-back three pointers within 18 seconds of one another to bring the Comets within two at 70-68 with 40 seconds left.
The Comets had the opportunity to tie it when they drew a foul with 31 seconds to play, but missed both free throws, forcing them to foul Hershberger, who nailed both shots for the four-point win.
“We had a chance,” Reynolds said. “It was a good comeback… but we missed 10 free throws.”
The Spartans managed to do what they failed to in their first match against Coventry—finish when the game was close in the final minute. But the result alone wasn’t enough to appease Morgan.
“It’s the same story as all year,” he said. “On this mini-run we’re on, we’ve done it by playing defense. During [Coventry’s] stretch, we let them get in a shooting groove and we quit playing defense.”
Defense is part of what helped the Spartans hand Kent Roosevelt its first conference loss the week before. Limiting turnovers is another.
“When we have the basketball and we handle pressure, we win.”
The Spartans turned the ball over 28 times to Coventry’s 16. The Comets’ ability to capitalize on turnovers helped them cut the lead over the final two minutes.
Both teams suffered defeats Tuesday—the Spartans 37-36 to Waterloo, and the Comets 67-57 to Coventry.
Springfield returns home to face Ravenna Friday. The Comets will travel to Field.
