Comets boys lose in OT to Seaside

By PHIL RAISTAKKAObserver corespondent

NASELLE - It finally happened. But it took a team from a school with about four times the enrollment of Naselle High an overtime period to do it, on a night when the home town boys weren't shooting their best. The Naselle Comets boys lost their first game in their last ten starts, in a winning streak that began a month ago in the Astoria Holiday Tournament. They lost a make-up non-league game to the veteran team from class 4A Seaside, 72-67, in an overtime game played Monday, Jan. 28, in Naselle's Lyle Patterson Gym. The loss saw the Comets season record drop to 11-6.This was the kind of test that the Comets needed at this stage of their season - a game against a tough, fast-moving, good shooting ball club in a non-counting game as far as the league and post-season play is concerned. To be sure, the Comets, their coach Brian Macy, and fans would liked to have won this game. They came close.Macy agreed in stating, "This was just the type of game we needed heading towards the tournament. If we can learn from this then it will obviously make us that much better, and more prepared for the district tournament."Naselle was led by the double-double of Kyle Burkhalter with 18 points and 10 rebounds and Austin Burkhalter with 17 points and 8 boards, Conor Smith had 9 points (and 4 steals) and Nathan Sultemeier and Nick Hines each chipped in with 8 points, and Hines also had 4 steals. All seven Comets who played put points on the scoreboard.The Seagulls were led by the double-double of their 6-5 senior center Ed Kauffunger with 17 points and 21 rebounds. Senior Chris Senick, one of the Gulls speed merchant guards, chipped in with 14 points and several timely steals and assists. One of the other equally pesky Gull guards, junior Jeremy Carow, finished with 12 points, plus several steals and assists.This game didn't look good, or even appear as if the Comets would come within a country mile of the high-flying Gulls for the first two and a half quarters. With over five minutes already gone in the third quarter, the Comets trailed the veteran Gulls, who start four seniors, by 18 points. The Gulls were clearing the Comets misses off the glass, or forcing turnovers, and scoring on break-aways. The Gulls had five run outs in the third period alone with three of them coming in quick succession to help the Gulls go from a 36-28 half-time lead to that 18 point margin.At that point, the Comets shots were like the Naselle rain, kind of falling all over the place. Twos, threes, jumps shots, put-backs, free throws - you name it - they weren't going where they were supposed to go for the Comets. The Comets shot 37 percent (25 of 68) on their two point tries, an abysmal 14 percent (3 of 21) on their threes, and a chilly 47 percent (14 of 30) on their free throws. That is the way it went, especially for the first 21 minutes of action. Unfortunately for the Comets, those missed free throws were going to haunt them at game's end, as well. The Comets were 3-for-9 in the last period while the Gulls were only 2-for-7 in their fourth period free throws so that shooting was about a standoff. The Comets trailed 17-9 after one quarter. After each team scored 19 points in the second period, the Comets still trailed by eight at intermission. The third period opened as if the Gulls were going to run away and hide. The Kauffunger-led Gulls controlled their defensive board and their speed-burner guards were off and running, first with an 8-2 run and then on a 8-5 run an the Comets looked to be in a world of hurt. But the Comets tightened up and a rally led by Sultemeier and Kyle Burkhalter and with points from other players pushed the Comets on a run of their own that closed the gap to twelve points, at 53-41, as the third period ended.The Comets after-burners were suddenly ignited as they took control of the fourth quarter. Kyle Burkhalter was to score ten points in the period, and Austin Burkhalter, who had a quiet scoring game up to that point, popped in seven points in the quarter, including his only three-ball of the night which tied the score at 60-all with 1:30 left in regulation time. Three other Comets were to contribute points to the Naselle barrage as the Comets out-scored the Gulls 24-12 in the quarter.The score was tied four times, and the Comets grabbed the lead on three different possessions, in the last minute and a half of regulation time as both teams had their chances to put it away. However, the Naselle shooting, especially free throw shooting, cost them. The Comets were 1 for 5 on their freebies inside the last minute and a half of regulation time plus the four minutes of overtime, while the Gulls were 3 for 5 during that same period of time.The action in the last 1:30 of the fourth quarter came down to Naselle gaining a one point lead on Kyle's free throw. The Gulls then tied it on 1 of 2 free throws. Kyle put the Comets on top again with a drive to the rack. The Gulls came back for a tie at 63 from a Naselle turnover. The Comets regained the lead on a drive by Austin with 13 seconds left, but a missed free throw denied Naselle a three point lead. The Gulls answered with a hoop from inside the paint with less than three seconds left and the game went into OT tied at 65. This was the second overtime game that Naselle has played this season - in fact, in the last ten days - and the Comets are 1-1 in those OT games.Overtime turned into a Seagull flurry. Naselle again won the tip on the opening jump ball, but missed the shot that would have given them the lead. The Gulls came back and scored on a steal by Senick, but a drive by Austin tied the score at 67, for the last time, with 2:30 left to play. The Gulls worked their way to a three point lead on a put-back by Kauffunger and one of two free throws a few seconds later. When the Comets couldn't respond, as they missed two more free throws and two more threes, the Gulls added two more Kauffunger free throws for their five point win.

Seaside 17 19 17 12 7 - 72
Naselle 9 19 13 24 2 - 67

Seaside (72) - Ed Kauffunger 17, Chris Senick 14, Jeremy Carow 12, Oliver 9, Farmer 8, Walker 7, Schneider 6; Rebounds: Kauffunger 21

Naselle (67) - Kyle Burkhalter 18, Austin Burkhalter 17, Smith 9, N. Hines 8, Sultemeier 8, Erickson 5, See 2 ;

FG - 25-68 (37%)
3's - 3-21 (14%),
FT - 14-30 (47%);
Rebounds: K. Burkhalter 10, A. Burkhalter 8;
Steals: N. Hines 4, Smith