Comets dominate Lakota West in 52-28 win
Sean Speidel | The Chronicle
The Mason Comets prevailed against Lakota West Wednesday, December 8 beating the Firebirds 55-28. It was the Comets’ second straight win, catapulting them to a 3-1 record, good for third place in the Greater Miami Conference (GMC) standings.
Mason led the entire game, jumping out to an 11-0 lead in the first quarter behind the inside domination of senior Kyla Oldacre. The Comet center finished the game with 19 points, 10 rebounds, and six assists.
Mason got out to a fast start in the first quarter going up 11-0. West forward Emily Doerman finally got the Firebirds on the board when she sunk a freethrow midway through the first quarter. Lakota West was stymied by the stingy defense of the Comets and didn’t score a field goal until the five minute mark of the first quarter. Head coach Rob Matula said that the early lead gave them momentum that carried on throughout the rest of the game.
“If you can start with a burst, it just takes a little bit of energy away from [the other] team that you’re playing,” Matula said. “I think getting off to a good start just allows us not only to take their edge away but to get our momentum and get our confidence up.”
West was able to chip away at the Mason lead to close out the quarter only trailing by six, 14-8.
In between quarters Matula reminded the team to not relax because they were ahead and to remember to keep their heads in the game. The team did just that. Mason outscored Lakota West 13-4 in the second quarter, highlighted by a nice pass from Oldacre to junior Amanda Barnes on the inside for an easy layup. Barnes would finish the game with a season high 10 points.
At the conclusion of the first half, the Comets had a comfortable 27-12 lead over Lakota West. Matula was pleased with how the team was playing on both ends of the court. Matula reminded his team to stay mentally strong and continue to dominate the game.
“One of the things that we have been accustomed to here is generating our offense through our defense,” Matula said. “I thought we did a good job of playing good defense.”
Mason’s momentum continued into the third quarter with good defense turning into offense as Oldacre picked up a loose ball and went full court to complete an old fashion three point play to push the Comets ahead by 18. The lead would eventually grow to 41-22 to close out the third quarter.
The team did not let up heading into the fourth. The Comet’s impressive ball movement, minimal turnovers, and dominance in the paint carried them to the finish, securing the win. Junior Carly Prows says she hopes the team’s momentum coming off of the big win can carry them heading towards their next game.
“We are continually getting better and playing based off of our game plan,” Prows said. “We’re gonna take that mindset because it’s not just like we got to practice and show up. We go to practice, come up with a game plan and then execute it on game day.”
The Mason Comets travel to Oak Hills on Saturday, December 11 to take on the Highlanders, who are 2-4 on the season.
Photo contributed by Lily Haller