Coloma Press Box

Boys basketball falls to St. Joseph

Last week, the Coloma Comet boys varsity basketball team returned to the court after a brief winter break respite, as they continued their quest to compete against solid conference and non-conference

INSIDE THE TOWER… In the first half of a recent game against Saint Joseph, Coloma’s Jaymes Phillips goes up for the offensive rebound against two Bear defenders. Despite being in late foul trouble, Phillips led the Comets in scoring with 15 points and had several rebounds, but Coloma was defeated, 53-36, falling to 1-7 on the year. (TCR photo by Jerrod Birmele)

competition from across the area. The squad came into action looking to improve on a sluggish 1-6 start to the season, with all their losses coming to teams with a record of .500 or above.

In their lone game of the week, which saw Coloma host the visiting Bears of Saint Joseph in non-conference action on Friday, Jan. 5, the Comets tried to get back into the win column for the first time in three games. They opened their calendar year slate with a visiting team, who came in with a 4-3 record and plays in a tough league, the Southwestern Michigan Athletic Conference. Coloma kept the game close in the early stages, but a tough stretch in the second and third quarters caused the deficit to swell, with Saint Joseph scoring the victory on this night, 53-36.

The Bears won the scoreboard battle in all four quarters, but two of them could’ve gone either way if you look at it from a positive standpoint. Saint Joseph led the game after the opening eight minutes, 14-12, before using a 15-7 scoring run in the second quarter to take a 29-19 lead at the half. The Bears continued their good vibes in the third quarter, as they outscored the Comets, 13-7, to take a 42-26 lead with eight minutes left in the contest. The final eight minutes were a dogfight, but Saint Joseph finished the night with an 11-10 scoring advantage in the fourth quarter to bring us to the final margin.

Five players scored for Coloma, including a pair of players who finished the night in double figures. Jaymes Phillips led all Comet scorers with 15 points while De’Anthonie Cornelius chipped in 14 points. Other players finishing on the score sheet included Ryan Schroeder (3 points), Carter Crist (2 points) and Darion Lee (2 points).

Coloma is currently 1-7 on the season and remains 1-3 in Southwestern Athletic Conference games. This week the Comets will play in two contests counting towards the final league standings. They will have begun the week by hosting the Irish of Kalamazoo Hackett on Tuesday, Jan. 9, before traveling to Allegan for a matchup with the Tigers on Friday, Jan. 12.

Wrestling suffers two conference losses

IN CONTROL… In a recent home Southwestern Athletic Conference dual against Schoolcraft, Coloma’s Maverick Kraemer controls his opponent, Ace Drewyor, while looking for more points. Kraemer won this match by decision, 9-5, but the Comets would fall in two duals on this night - one to the Eagles, 60-15, along with Constantine, 69-12. (TCR photo by Jerrod Birmele)

The Coloma Comet high school wrestling team made their return to the mats after vacation for a pair of events during the seven-day stretch, when they participated in a home conference quad during the week and in a team tournament during the weekend. Despite some shaky early results from the squad, the coaching staff must feel good about the direction the team is headed. A year ago, they were struggling to field a full team; this year, they have the bodies to fill most weights.

In their home conference team matches, that took place on Wednesday, Jan. 3, the Comets hosted Constantine, Schoolcraft and Watervliet for a quad in their home gymnasium. Coloma had wrestled the Panthers prior to the end of the calendar year, so they had matches against the Falcons (Constantine) and Eagles (Schoolcraft). On this night, the Comets ended the evening with a pair of losses, as they were first defeated by Schoolcraft, 60-15, before finishing the night with a loss to Constantine, 69-12.

Winning matches against Schoolcraft were KJ Young (106), Maverick Kraemer (138) and Rafael Lopez (285).

Winning matches against Constantine were Matt Martel (113) and Jay Christe (126).

In addition to their weekday conference matchups, the Comet wrestlers also competed in a team tournament, the Mendon Invitational on Saturday, Jan. 6; however, results were not made available as of press time.

Coloma is currently 2-4 in the Southwestern Athletic Conference. The Comet wrestlers will see action on Saturday, Jan. 13, when they compete in the Alma Team Tournament. That tournament will include the Comets, the host school, and ten additional teams.

As always, GO GREEN! GO GOLD!