Effort took Mills a long way Wednesday night.
The Lady Comets were obliterated on the boards but got after Stuttgart with a stirring fourth-quarter push to eke out a 49-45 victory in a key 4A-8 Conference clash at The Galaxy gymnasium.
Ma'Kenzie King scored 15 points for Mills (12-9, 4-4), which got a much-needed win after enduring a rough stretch.
The Lady Comets had previously lost their last three games and were coming off a dismal outing on Tuesday when they were beaten 60-37 at Hamburg. The way Mills started out against Stuttgart (11-13, 4-5) wasn't promising either, especially when it came to rebounding.
The Lady Ricebirds, who had won three of their prior four contests going in, held a 13-2 advantage on the glass after the first quarter and had a 21-5 rebounding edge by halftime. That gap continued to swell as the game went on, with many of those rebounds giving resulting in second-, third- and fourth-chance opportunities. There was even a period in the second half where the Lady Ricebirds corralled five straight rebounds.
The problem for Stuttgart, though, was that it didn't always capitalize off those chances, and that enabled Mills to hang around.
"I have to take it back to last year because Stuttgart is one of our biggest rivals," Mills Coach Joe Gregory said. "They beat us out last year by one point to make it regionals so I knew this game was going to be very intense. But [Stuttgart] is big inside, and they've got really active guards.
"[Rebounding] gave us a lot of problems early, a lot of problems."
Stuttgart's Brooklyn Owens gave the Lady Comets issues, too. The sophomore scored 14 first-half points, including a stretch where she netted 12 points in a row over the first and second quarters. She was also one of several who gave Mills fits on the glass.
But Gregory decided to face guard the Lady Ricebirds' standout after she scored on a coast-to-coast layup midway through the second quarter. That strategy, coupled with a rash of forced turnovers, enabled the Lady Comets to draw within 25-24 at halftime following jumpers from King and Jeneva Gregory on their final two possessions.
Stuttgart did open a 34-25 lead after going off on a 9-1 run to open the second half before the Lady Comets began to inch back. Mills forced seven more turnovers over the last four minutes of the third quarter, leading to an 8-2 spurt that cut its deficit to 36-34.
The Lady Comets still trailed 43-42 until Jermera Streets, who ended with 12 points, hit a pair of free throws with two minutes left to give her team their first lead since the first quarter.
"The girls showed so much effort," said Gregory, who had to play the final 3:30 without his starting point guard Jeneva Gregory after the sophomore fouled out. "They really took on the challenge on the defensive end. ... This is a young team that's still trying to gain some chemistry. But they continued to fight."
Mills led 46-44 with less than a minute to go when Streets hit a fall-away, one-hander with 43 seconds showing to extend its lead. The freshman – one of two who start for the Lady Comets – later added a free throw to help Mills hold on.
"We were on a three-game losing streak," Gregory explained. "We had some players out with illnesses, and those three losses were tough. But to come back and beat [Stuttgart] knowing we were at full strength tells me that 'Hey, we can do this.' We can win these types of games."
Ambreal Tenner had 14 points, and Gregory tallied eight points for the Lady Comets. The win moved Mills into fourth place in the conference standings.
Owens had 20 points, 6 rebounds and 4 steals for Stuttgart, which eventually outrebounded Mills 45-18 but hurt its chances by turning the ball over 30 times. Kailey Bishop added 13 points, 10 rebounds and 3 steals.
BOYS
MILLS 89, STUTTGART 38
An overpowering second half sent Mills (15-8, 8-0 4A-8) off to a blowout over the Ricebirds.
Joseph Bell had 19 points and six rebounds for the Comets, who led 42-29 at halftime but outscored Stuttgart (8-15, 5-4) 28-0 in the third quarter. Zaylin Rowland followed with 11 points, 5 steals, 5 assists and 4 rebounds, and Anthony Hester tossed in 11 points and seven rebounds for Mills. Marshall Walls also scored nine points in the win.
Landen Bryant led the Ricebirds with 13 points.
