CHAMPAIGN The Oakwood Lady Comets once again got out to a slow start in postseason play, but this time, couldnt recover, as they saw their season come to an end at the hands of the Monticello Sages 50-41 on Tuesday evening in opening round action of the Class 2A Sectional at The High School of St. Thomas More in Champaign.

Oakwood, who could just muster two points in the opening eight minutes of action, fell behind 11-2 at the end of the first quarter, and was forced to try and play catch-up for the remainder of the game.

I think that the beginning of the game dictated things for the most part, because we had trouble getting into any kind of offensive rhythm as a result, Oakwood head coach Jeff Ford said following the game on his teams slow start.

The Lady Comets recovered some in the second quarter, as they began to see a few shots drop through the hoop, and trailed the Sages 17-10 after one half of play.

But it was the defensive pressure of Monticello that wore thin on the Lady Comets, something that Ford attributed to his teams trouble getting the ball up the court.

I dont know if we have faced that kind of length at any time this season, and I have to give them (Monticello) credit, because that made it extremely tough for us to get any kind of offense going tonight, Ford added regarding Monticellos tough defensive effort.

Katelyn Young scored 12 points to lead Oakwood, while Shaelyn Turner and Rylee Dowers each added 10 points for the Lady Comets, who see their season come to an end at 26-5 overall.

Oakwood was just 9-of-26 from the field, including 5-of-12 from beyond the arc, and excluding that first quarter, they didnt do a bad job from the field on the night. Oakwood struggled from the free throw line, making just 8 of their 18 attempts at the line.

Monticello (22-4) was led in scoring by Zanna Myers, who ended up with 12 points. Emma Reeder and Rachel Lockmiller each added nine points apiece for the Sages, who made 15-39 from the field for the contest, but only attempted four long range shots, making two of those.

Monticello was efficient from the free throw line, making 14-of-18 from the stripe on the night, including several late in the game to seal the victory.

Oakwood committed 23 turnovers, something that Ford attributes to inexperience for his young team.

I think our girls maybe tried to do too much tonight, and with their youth and inexperience, that certainly could have been a factor for the amount of turnovers as well, Ford remarked about his team and their lack of ability to take good care of the ball.

With everyone returning next season for Ford and the Lady Comets, they have the potential to get back in this position once again, and possibly improve with another year of experience.

Monticello will face Bloomington Central Catholic, who defeated Clifton Central 56-52 in a tight affair in the first game of the evening, in the sectional title game on Thursday evening. The winner of that game will advance on to the super-sectional at Champaigns Parkland College next Monday night with the opportunity to advance to the state tournament.

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