Holiday Hoops: Getting back to 100 percent, Fatima girls feel ready for Classic

Fatima's Vivian Bax takes a shot in the lane during last week's game against Blair Oaks in Wardsville. (Shaun Zimmerman/News Tribune)
Fatima's Vivian Bax takes a shot in the lane during last week's game against Blair Oaks in Wardsville. (Shaun Zimmerman/News Tribune)

It was a noteworthy practice Monday night for the Fatima Lady Comets.

“We went a whole two hours and nobody coughed, it was quite an improvement,” Fatima coach Matt Baker said as the Lady Comets prepare to take on Hickman in the opening game of the Jefferson Bank Holiday Hoops Classic today at Capital City High School. “Their color was better and they looked like they actually felt good.

“Hopefully that helps us in what’s going to be a tough three-day stretch.”

It’s been a tough stretch health-wise recently for Fatima, which had to call off a game earlier this month against Hermann due to nine of the 10 varsity players being sick. That was a stretch of seven days the team went without a practice.

“We weren’t doing anybody any good by trying to practice,” Baker said.

Fatima, ranked No. 3 in Class 4 by the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association, will bring a 5-2 record into the Classic. The Lady Comets fell 57-53 in the title game of the Fatima Comet Classic earlier this month, then lost 41-35 last week at Blair Oaks.

“The only team that has beat us is us,” Baker said. “We missed 14 free throws against Helias and at Blair Oaks, we had 24 turnovers and were still leading in the fourth quarter.

“We’ve played well against a lot of good teams.”

Hickman (7-1) will be the latest good team Fatima has faced this season. The Kewpies are receiving votes in the Class 6 state poll.

“They’re really good,” Baker said. “They’re big, they’re fast and they play really good defense.”

It’s that defense that has Fatima’s attention.

“They do a great job of containing you and keeping the ball away from your primary scorers,” Baker said. “On makes, they run a diamond press that is one of the more aggressive and effective presses I’ve seen in girls basketball.

“They run it off makes, so I guess we’ll be in good shape if we don’t let them score.”

Taking care of the basketball is a key for the Lady Comets.

“We have to get ourselves straightened out,” Baker said. “If we can limit our turnovers, maybe 12-15 per game, I think the rest can take care of itself. If we don’t hurt ourselves, we should be in good shape.”

The Comets are led by junior Alli Robertson and sophomore Vivian Bax. The duo are averaging just under 14 points, four steals and four assists per game.

“They’re both doing a good job all over the floor,” Baker said. “In big games, both of them have stepped up this season.”

Robertson is also pulling down just under 11 rebounds per contest.

“She’s been an absolute force on the boards,” Baker said.

The Lady Comets also have a handful of players averaging between 8.0-9.5 points per contest.

“It’s pretty consistent pieces to go around Vivian and Alli,” Baker said.

With the health of the Lady Comets improving, Baker is looking to see a great effort from his team in the Classic.

“The big thing is going to do what we do, just be ourselves,” he said. “We could go 0-3 and play really well. The record isn’t the key.

“We better have some fire. We need to get back to flying around and putting out a good effort. If we’re diving for loose balls and taking care of the basketball, it should be a good three days for us.”

Fatima and Hickman will tip at 2:30 p.m.

“We’re excited for this opportunity,” Baker said.