Comets snatch vital victory against Ravens

Main rivals Ravenscroft were sitting top of the tree and victory here would have left them a clear path to the title in coming weeks, but now they hold no tangible advantage in this competitive Women’s League – and their opponents’ superior statistics could prove their undoing.

This Beau Sejour duel ultimately came down to an eventful finish where Comets fought back from the brink to steal the victory, 50-47.

Leading 47-44 with just left two minutes on the clock, the tension got to Ravens as they ended up handing away four three throws – which Comets’ experienced Bonnie Le Noury and Ieva Babina converted without fault to get one ahead.

After Ravens’ Katie Cochrane hobbled off injured, Comets put the final nail in the coffin with what was to be a winning basket from Erin Ogier.

Comets captain Emilie Batiste did not understate the importance of getting the result.

‘It was an important game, and we needed to win it to keep in the league,’ she said.

‘It was a bit of a strange game – it was always so close.

‘It could have gone either way, but it’s good to get the win so we are still in with a chance of winning the league.’

It had appeared to be Comets’ game in the opening minutes as they broke 12-3 ahead in short order.

Ravens were struggling to break a tight defence and, even when they had a chance, the shots would not drop.

However, they soon finally began to underline their credentials as multiple league champions. Notably, a stunning buzzer-beating three-pointer from Emma Hicks allowed them to end the quarter just 12-10 down.

Hicks continued to head the scoring for Ravens, who mixed an impressive inside game with very capable ranged shooting, and she scored another two threes as her side crept to 24-23 ahead at half-time.

Comets remained highly threatening and a free-scoring Babina played a big part in that, but Ravens looked to have the momentum in their favour as they hit the final quarter leading 41-36.

That lead did not last long. Comets managed to eat right into the gap by denying Ravens’ scoring with a formidable defensive performance, before inching one ahead.

Ravens found a second wind and crept ahead to 47-44, but the events of the final minutes ran in their opponents’ favour as they capped off a quality team performance.

‘I think we just played well as a team and everybody played their part, we stayed composed when we needed to, and our defence really won us the game,’ Batiste added.

‘It’s great that the league is still competitive, especially leading up to the Island Games.’

Comets’ Babina remained far and away the top scorer, racking up a terrific 29 with two three-pointers.

Ravens struck a solid balance between low-post player Sammie Cox (15) and the ranged threat of Hicks (14 with three ‘threes’).

Hicks admitted afterwards that the match was ‘ours to lose’.

‘Too many turnovers, and I think that’s what lost us the game – we just got overtaken at the end,’ she said.

Nevertheless, she and coach Tim Halden both took some positives, including strong performances from their ‘bigs’.

‘Comets played really good defence and stopped us scoring, which is a bonus for them,’ Halden added.

The results of two important clashes next week – with Pumas able to take points off Ravens on Wednesday and Comets on Friday – will be hugely pivotal to the outcome of the season.