Still in search of their first win, the Labette Cardinals women fell to the NOC-Enid Jets in their home opener on Wednesday night, 75-59.
While the Cardinals played competitively in their first four games against three Division I opponents and one nationally-ranked Division II club, Labette looked lethargic on Wednesday.
“This is the worst game we’ve played in five games,” Labette first-year head coach Gabby Cortez said. “We expect the first game of the season to be the worst one. This looks like the first game of the season, like we’ve never played together before. We were five steps behind a team that we’re five steps faster than. It was a long night.”
Labette led through the first quarter, 14-12, before the wheels fell off. In the third period, the Jets outscored the Cardinals, 26-15.
“I have no idea why the effort was off,” Cortez said. “We’re young and inexperienced, so when a low hits, we don’t know how to respond to it. We’re still adapting to being college athletes. We started great in the first quarter. But then they went on a run and we pouted instead of turning the page.”
Despite an off night, Labette point guard Ahmani Klabunde delivered a season- high 34 points on 13of-26 shooting. The Chipola transfer was often the Cardinals’ only option to spark offense.
“She’s finally doing what I need her to do,” Cortez said. “She’s being a floor general. She can take over games when we need her to take over games. She’s one of the only ones with college experience. She played under Mitch Rolls. So she was coached right. She knows the expectations. It was nice to see her wake up.”
The Cardinals spent much of the game without the services of Mattea Henry, a forward averaging a double-double, who dealt with an illness.
JaNai Coleman led the Jets with 17 points.
“We just have to regroup and try some things,” Cortez said. “We’re competing well. We didn’t compete well tonight, but we competed in the other four games. We need to handle our frustration and calm everybody down. We’re playing some top teams in the country. If we can grow up, we’ll be fine. This is a real test of character in seeing how we can bounce back.”
Up next
Now at 0-5 on the season, the Cardinals hit the road on Tuesday to face Metro-Penn Valley.
“They’re a scrappy team that’s not going to be an easy one,” Cortez said. “It’s a good test for us. We need to make it win No. 1.”
