COFFEYVILLE — Shooting woes from outside and turnovers plagued the Labette Cardinals women on Tuesday as they fell to 0-2 with an 8563 loss to the Division I Coffeyville Red Ravens.
“We’ve got it in us. We definitely have the talent and ability to beat a bunch of people this year,” Labette first-year head coach Gabby Cortez said. “When we get stops, we can go on runs and win games. We haven’t got to that yet, but we can get over the hump.”
Coffeyville never trailed in Tuesday night’s tilt. The Cardinals, who trailed by double digits in the first half, went on a 12-2 run that trimmed the lead to six midway through the third quarter.
Another dry spell offensively allowed the Red Ravens to put the nail in the coffin.
Labette was ice-cold from outside, shooting 20% (5-of-25) from 3-point range.
“In our four scrimmages, we shot 35% as a team and we were taking good threes,” Cortez said. “Now we’re taking bad threes. We have to be able to knock down outside shots to be successful in college basketball.”
Cortez also harped on Labette’s lack of offensive rebounding. The Cardinals had six second-chance points on nine offensive boards.
“They just don’t understand it yet,” Cortez said. “Half of the roster hasn’t played college basketball yet, so they don’t understand the importance of it. Getting outrebounded two games in a row, we can practice with a grudge. It’s about being aggressive, and that’s what we’re lacking right now. If we can enhance our aggressiveness, our nine goes to 19.”
Aubrey Hishaw led Coffeyville with 24 points while Esme Smith added 14.
Mattea Henry paced the Cardinals with 16 points on 7-of-11 shooting.
“She’s been the most consistent I’ve had,” Cortez said. “It’s two games in a row she’s been solid. She’s the most unguardable kid in the country because she’s versatile. She can get to the rim. Her defense is tremendous. I need Mattea and I appreciate her.”
Turnovers infected Labette’s offense as the Cardinals coughed up the ball 27 times in Tuesday’s loss. Point guard Ahmani Klabunde had eight turnovers.
“More of her turnovers are coming from an injury,” Cortez said. “She rolled her ankle badly 40 seconds into the Seminole State game. And she didn’t get enough rest. She’s our leader and floor general so it’s my fault. I didn’t give her enough rest. She usually takes care of the ball pretty well for us. A lot of it is that injury messing with her, mentally.”
Up next
Labette heads to Neosho, Missouri on Friday and Saturday to face North Arkansas and Crowder, respectively.
“We have to defend, talk and rebound,” Cortez said. “If we do those things consistently, we can get our first two wins. They’re both really good teams, so we’ve got to lock in. If we’re aggressive and punch first, we can come out with a couple of dubs.”
Friday’s tilt against North Arkansas will be the first time since 2018 that the two schools will meet since a 2018 incident where Labette was met with racist taunts from fans during a game at North Arkansas.
