The Kitty Kats traveled to Pettus and came away with a hard-fought 70–62 victory over the Lady Eagles Jan. 17 The game was backand- forth throughout, but the Kitty Kats pulled away in the fourth quarter behind key plays from Paige DeLeon, Gracie Stehling, Trinity Flores, and Palyn Koopmann.
Early in the game, the Kitty Kats fell behind but quickly fought back. A fast break by Flores and a score by Stehling on an inbound play tied the game. Pettus responded with a free throw, but DeLeon scored an underneath- the-basket shot to keep the Kitty Kats close. Koopmann drove to the basket off a screen set by Stehling, was fouled, and completed a three-point play, giving the Kats a 23–23 tie.
DeLeon added another rebound basket, and Koopmann’s drive from the left side tied the game again at 27–27. Pettus then went on a short scoring run with a jumper and a three-pointer. De-Leon scored off an assist from Koopmann, and Stehling hit a free throw in the final seconds of the half. The Kitty Kats trailed 30–34 at halftime.
The third quarter started with Stehling scoring three consecutive baskets, helping the Kats take a brief lead at 36–34. Pettus responded with a three-pointer, but Koopmann and Flores quickly answered with a basket and a steal, leading to an open layup. De-Leon cut to the basket with an assist from Koopmann, and the quarter ended with Pettus leading 49–42.
The fourth quarter saw an intense backand- forth battle. Stehling made backto- back baskets, and DeLeon hit a threepointer to tie the game 49–49 with 6:30 remaining. Flores added a threepointer to bring the Kats within two, but Pettus answered with a three-pointer of their own. DeLeon quickly responded with a three-pointer and a free throw. Koopmann stole the ball, made a layup, and completed the three-point play to tie 59–59.
DeLeon then grabbed a rebound and put back a basket to take the lead 61– 59 and added another basket to extend the advantage. Stehling scored a low basket, and DeLeon contributed another putback before finishing the scoring with two free throws, sealing the 70–62 win for the Kitty Kats.
The victory showcased the team’s resilience and teamwork, with DeLeon, Stehling, Flores, and Koopmann playing key roles in the comeback.
