Comets hope to peak as the stretch run nears

Press Sports Editor
sports@presspublications.com

As it currently stands, there are six girls basketball teams in the Northern Buckeye Conference with a realistic shot at winning the league championship.
Genoa (7-4) and Oak Harbor (9-3) are tied in first place with a 6-2 record in the league, followed by Maumee (9-5) and Eastwood (9-6), both of whom have 6-3 records in the NBC, and Lake (6-9) and Fostoria (5-8), who are 5-4 and 4-4, respectively in the conference.
To say that the Comets have had their share of ups and downs would be an understatement.
The difference in Genoa’s first three games was six points, leaving the Comets at 1-2 and 0-2 in the NBC following a win over Woodmore (46-45) in the opener, and road losses to Eastwood (44-42) and Oak Harbor (43-40). “Those losses were great learning experiences,” said Genoa coach Glenn Black. “How were we going to respond? We were just a young team – we were learning how to win, but this is a group that wants to learn, and they’re hungry. That combination can really help.
Genoa responded and won its next four games, the first three coming in convincing fashion with a 38-33 win over Rossford in overtime on December 20, bringing the club to 5-2 (4-2).
The Comets fell to Start (62-40), one of the City League’s best teams, and Danbury (42-38), which was undefeated at the time. But they responded with the wins over the Eagles and Redmen.
Three of Genoa’s four losses have been by four points or less, but the Comets have also won two overtime games, beating Fostoria (50-44) last week and Rossford (38-33) on Dec. 20.
In the win over the Redmen, the visiting Comets rallied and came back to win in overtime, outscoring Fostoria, 13-5, in the fourth quarter and 9-3 in overtime. Makenna Moritz scored 16 points to lead Genoa and Lucy Schlageter put up 13.
The 49-35 victory over Eastwood saw Addisyn Moritz lead all scorers with 21 points, and Schlageter (8.7 points) and Makenna Moritz (12.1 points, 7.0 rebounds) finished with six points apiece, while the defense held Kayla Buehler to 14 points.
“The ball definitely bounced our way in those games. In both games, both teams played hard, and it could’ve gone either way,” said Black. “On a different night, it could’ve been a different scenario, and I’m grateful that we were able to pull those out.”
The Moritz girls, both who can play guard or forward — Makenna Moritz is 5-8 and Addisyn Moritz is 5-10 — are in the starting lineup with Schlageter (5-7) at guard, Adrianna Williams (5-3) a guard and Emerson Bickel a 5-8 forward.
“The starting lineup has varied from game to game,” said Black. “We’ve gotten contributions from just about everybody. Addi Moritz has come a really long way; she’s a great kid for us in terms of her leadership. We’re really proud of her because of everything she’s done for this team.”
Also seeing action off the deep bench are Kiera Combs, Audrey Brower, Kylie Pennington, Ava Houghtaling, Izzy West and Kayla Boyd.
“Kylie has had some big games for us,” said Black. “We have a very deep bench and that really helps us, too, when we get in foul trouble and maintain some defensive pressure.”
It’s a very young team, one with a bevy of freshmen and sophomores.
The rematch with Oak Harbor takes place Feb. 10. Until then, the Comets have a tough road that includes Lake, Toledo Christian, Southview, Maumee and Ottawa Hills.
Black is optimistic about what lies ahead for his club, which has almost matched its win total from last season. “I would say this – these are a group of kids that really care about each other. They would do anything for each other; they’re completely selfless and are all about the team. When you get that kind of buy-in, it’s special. I’m grateful to be a small part of it.
“We just have to commit to the process. We have to get better, stay hungry. We know anything in life is going to be earned. These kids have put a lot of work in, and a lot of what they’ve done in the offseason, they’ve really committed to getting better and each other. We’ve had some freshmen who have come in and played well. Our juniors, their leadership has helped. It’s a cohesive, tight-knit group, and that’s really helped us.”