FITHIAN Oakwood coach Jeff Ford admitted it. A first quarter like his team had Thursday night against Watseka just seven points on 3-of-13 shooting would have been a difficult slow start to recover from earlier this season.

The young Oakwood girls basketball lineup with two freshmen and two sophomores starting might have struggled. The Comets did struggle sometimes in those situations at the beginning of the season.

But Thursdays slow start was one Oakwood was better suited to handle.

The third-seeded Comets showed some poise, knocked down more shots and turned a four-point halftime lead into a 55-39 victory in the championship game of their own Class 2A regional. The win sends Oakwood (26-4) into Tuesdays sectional semifinal against Monticello at St. Thomas More.

Thats where Ive seen the progression over the year, Ford said. Early on, when we got down like that to an excellent team like Watseka, we would have lost. I just think theyve matured a lot. Theyve been in big games.

Junior guard Shaelyn Turner the only upperclassman in the starting lineup and one of four on the Comets roster said Oakwoods chemistry has improved during the course of the season. The Comets have a better feel for what everyone can do on the court together.

We started to get comfortable with each other and know whos hot and whos not and get them the ball, Turner said. We just worked together as a team to get it done in the second half.

Turner was one of four Oakwood players in double figures with 12 points, getting several of her dozen off Watseka turnovers she forced. Kylie Neuman led the Comets with 16 points, Katelyn Young finished with 13 points and 16 rebounds and Rylee Dowers had 12 points.

Second-seeded Watseka focused its defensive attention primarily on Young Oakwoods 6-foot-1 Division I prospect. The Comets said they know they have to make shots when teams do that. Neuman, Turner and Dowers, the latter of whom made Oakwoods only two three-pointers, did just that.

I thought we did a decent job on Young, said Watseka coach Barry Bauer, whose team was led offensively by Summer Cramer with 17 points. If youre going to pick your poison a little bit, I think its going to be from the perimeter with Oakwood. Even some of the ones they shot close to the three-point line, I thought we had a hand up. A good team makes shots like that.

It was all part of Oakwoods comeback bid. The Comets shot 50 percent from the field in the second half, hauled in plenty of offensive rebounds for second-chance opportunities and continued to force turnovers by the Warriors (23-8).

We realize whats at stake, Neuman said. If we lose, were done, so we know weve got to give it all. We do that. We go for every loose ball. We know its the little things that can change a game. Once we get on a run, we just try to keep it.

Neuman was the most efficient on the offensive end, going 8 of 12 from the field and helping spark the Comets as they pulled away in the final 16 minutes.

When you see somebody make a shot, youre like, Yeah! Neuman said. We were getting open shots, and we were hitting them.

You could tell it was catching once a couple of them started hitting, Ford added. Everybody else got a little bit of confidence, and that made a huge difference.

More here:

Balance tips game for Comets | News-Gazette.com - Champaign/Urbana News-Gazette