Comets fourth in Region 5
By Suzanne Werre
Editor
The Underwood Comets peaked going into tournament time, winning eight games in a row, but struggled against teams that matched the Comets defense-for-defense in the Region 5 tournament, falling in OT to New Salem-Almont 35-34 in second-round action of the tournament last Tuesday, relegating them to the battle for third and fourth.
The Comets fell short in their quest for third place Thursday night at Bismarck’s Century High School after losing junior forward Kayden Hornberger for the final minutes of the game when he went down with an ankle injury. The Comets lost by the score of 51-44, putting their season record at 12-13.
Along the way, though, Underwood Head Coach Alex Jangula earned the respect of his fellow region coaches, being named the Region 5 Coach of the Year.
“You’re only as good as your players,” said Jangula, who earlier earned District 10 Coach of the Year honors.
Jangula had hoped to make the jump to the state tournament, but the final two games of the regional tournament pitted the Comets against two teams that knew how to play defense just as well as the Comets did, taking away the Comets offensive strengths.
After playing to a 23-23 tie at half-time, the Bulldogs picked up the pace on defense, giving the Comets some trouble getting their offense going.
