Comets get in preseason scrimmages at W-SR

By John Burbridge sports@charlescitypress.com

WAVERLY — The reason why they didn’t keep score wasn’t because this some sort of youth basketball tournament custom-made to keep self-esteem pristine.

No. It was more likely because they couldn’t employ enough scorekeepers and scoreboards for the four or five full-court runs going on simultaneously.

Plus, this was also an opportunity for coaches to pay even closer attention to what’s going on on the court than any looming numbers being tabulated and displayed.

“This is the first time we decided to participate in this,” Charles City head girls basketball coach Danielle Rippentrop said of the preseason “jamboree” hosted by Waverly-Shell Rock on Saturday “We’ll probably do this again.”

The “jamboree” consisted of a series scrimmages 25-minutes long played on a running clock. Though score wasn’t kept, the runs were reffed — sometimes by coaches whose teams were on in-between game breaks.

Shooting fouls initiated free-throw opportunities, but players only got to shoot once from the line, even after fouls on 3-point shots.

For the most part, Rippentrop liked what she saw on Saturday.

“I thought we improved as the day went on,” she said. “We also saw some stuff we need to work on.

“We have a lot of freshman and younger players out this year. This gives them a chance to see what it’s like to play at this level.”

The Comets have their starting backcourt back from last season in senior point guard Payton Reams and sophomore Olyvia Zuspan. Last season, Reams led the team in assists while Zuspan led the team in steals and was the Comets’ main 3-point threat.

Junior Jodie Sindlinger also returns. Scoring most of her points in the paint, Sindlinger had the team’s highest shooting percentage last year. She also led the team in blocked shots and was the Comets second leading rebounder.

“We’re going to utilize our post more this season … try to get an inside-outside attack,” Rippentrop said. “On defense, we’re going to amp up the charge.”

The Comets will open the season Nov. 21 with an away non-conference game against Clear Lake.