Lady Trojans drop to Coffeyville on Saturday

The Colby Community College Lady Trojans closed out the calendar year with a challenging road test on Saturday, Dec. 13, falling 72–55 to nationally ranked Coffeyville Community College in KJCCC play. The Ravens, ranked 25th in the NJCAA, used a fast start and sustained pressure to defend their home floor, while Colby was left searching for consistency against one of the conference’s most established programs

Coffeyville set the tone early, jumping out to a 23–10 lead after the first quarter and extending the margin to 40–22 by halftime. The Ravens capitalized on turnovers and second-chance opportunities, scoring 16 points off turnovers and another 16 on second-chance looks, numbers that proved difficult for the Lady Trojans to overcome

Head coach Darin Spence said the slow start continues to be a point of frustration for his group, especially against elite competition.

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“Playing against the 25th ranked team in the country, a program playing at a high level the past five years, is always a tough game,” Spence said. “Our challenge is how we wait around to see how hard the game is going to be and how hard the other team wants to play that day and then we try to respond to it. We always get everyone’s best game, so you would think we would know that by now.”

Despite the early deficit, Colby showed resilience coming out of the locker room. The Lady Trojans outscored Coffeyville 18–13 in the third quarter, trimming the margin and briefly injecting momentum back into the contest. That stretch reflected the flashes Spence believes his team is capable of when locked in.

“When we are locked in we are pretty good,” he said. “Our game needs to mature and be more invested in the process moving forward.”

Offensively, Colby was led by Olivia Hultgren, who scored a team-high 16 points on 6-of-13 shooting, knocking down four three-pointers. Dessirae Ulmer added 10 points and seven rebounds in 22 minutes, while Elia Ando provided a spark off the bench with 10 points on an efficient 5-of-7 shooting performance. Easha Potts chipped in nine points and four rebounds, and Jera Kruleski finished with seven points and six rebounds while logging over 35 minutes on the floor

Colby shot 44.2 percent from the field, but struggled from the free-throw line, going just 2-of-4, while Coffeyville converted 21-of-25 attempts at the stripe. The Ravens also held a slight rebounding edge, 35–34, and committed just seven turnovers compared to Colby’s 16

For Spence, the loss was less about the opponent and more about meeting the standard the Lady Trojans have set for themselves.

“We do good things in practice and prepare, but then don’t play up to our standard and identity,” Spence said. “We need our top players to play at a higher level and be consistent moving forward. We need to be better and we need to set the tone of the game and be the aggressor from tip-off.”

Colby will now turn its attention ahead as conference play continues, carrying the lessons from Coffeyville into the next stretch of the schedule. The Lady Trojans remain focused on growth and consistency as they work toward finding their identity against one of the toughest slates in the region. The Trojans will resume play on January 3, hosting Hutchinson.

by Derek White