Seconds away from a season-defining win over one of the top teams in Class 4A, the Chanute Blue Comets girls instead fell to the Independence Bulldogs in overtime, 51-47, in SEK League action on Tuesday night.
“There’s 30 different what-ifs,” Chanute head coach Dustin Fox said. “What if we made this shot or made this free throw? That’s all part of the process. All you can do is grow from it. Hopefully the next time we’re in this situation, we come out on the other side of it.”
Chanute never trailed in regulation and led by as much as 14 in the second half. But a late 3-pointer from Independence’s Sarah Veile forced the extra stanza.
“I thought we did a good job of continuing to attack, we just weren’t able to finish enough inside,” Fox said. “We weren’t getting the same calls on our drives as the game went on. Then a kid who wasn’t a 3-point shooter banks one in to send it to overtime. You tip your hat to Indy. They’re seniors that made plays. But we gave ourselves a chance against a really good team.”
Kate Uhner dropped 17 points to pace the Blue Comets. The freshman point guard connected on 3-of-9 shots while hitting 11-of-12 free throws. She also racked up five steals.
“She was aggressive and attacked well,” Fox said. “I thought she could’ve gone to the free throw line more. But she absorbed a lot of contact and played tough.”
Averee Hicks’ value was illuminated for Chanute — the team’s leader in plus-minus had eight points and seven rebounds. But foul trouble in the second half relegated her to the bench, sparking the Bulldogs’ comeback.
“Defensively, she has physicality that some of our younger kids don’t have yet,” Fox said. “She does a great job of cleaning up the glass. Tonight, when she’s finishing shots inside, that’s an extra bonus. That’s why we had the lead we had. In the fourth quarter, I trusted my senior. I didn’t want to foul my kid out by keeping her on the bench.”
Katelyn Spencer led Independence with 16 points while Kaylea Lemos added 15.
Up next
Chanute hosted Parsons on Thursday to wrap the regular season. The Class 4A East Sub-State Tournament begins next week.
“We’re pretty locked into the 11-seed,” Fox said. “We could play anybody from Hayden to Santa Fe Trail to Fort Scott. There’s moving pieces. So we’ll prepare for whoever we have.”
