Comets are now 4-1 in conference
By Kevin Cunningham
Correspondent
The Delavan-Darien High School boys basketball team entered last week with a 5-2 record, and after a 17-day stretch in which the team did not play a game, the Comets had to travel to face a 3-6 Janesville Parker team.
The records didn’t make a difference in the game, as Janesville Parker’s balanced scoring attack and first-half surge led them to a 74-69 victory.
Overall records can also be deceiving, said Comets head coach Bob Beighton.
“Parker is a Division 1 team that plays in one of the best conferences in the state,” he said. “We scheduled these games against bigger schools to prep for the playoffs.”
Parker came out and led 42-28 entering halftime. Once the 13-minute mark hit in the second half, that’s when the tide began to turn.
“We began our comeback after being down 22,” Beighton said. “We simply began to execute on both sides of the court. We had three chances to tie or take the lead with less than two minutes.”
The Comets came up short, but offensively, it wasn’t because of senior guard Lucas Delara. Delara shot 9-of-16 from the field while going 4-of-8 from behind the arc and shooting 7-of-7 from the free throw line. Delara scored 29 points, leading all scorers.
Seth Kirsch led the team with nine rebounds, while, as a team, the Comets turned the ball over 15 times compared to its 10 total assists.
“We were defensively unsound in containing penetration,” Beighton said. “This was the crux of our defensive issues. Offensively, we did not execute nor demonstrate the shot selection in the first half to be successful.”
Three days later, the Comets were at home and were back in the thick of Southern Lakes Conference play as Beighton’s team hosted Waterford. A win for the Comets pushed them to the top of the SLC standings, temporarily passing Westosha Central.
Beighton’s group started slowly again, but dominated the second half enough to complete the 66-52 comeback win. Waterford led 33-29 at half, but a 37-19 scoring difference in the second half proved to be vital.
“We started slow again, but we finished the half on a 13-0 run and held Waterford to 20 points over the last 24 minutes of the game,” Beighton said. “This is the level of defense we need to stay competitive this year. We also need to get double-digit scoring and rebounds from different players on different nights.
“Jayce Crull’s 11 points were his season high and a big key with Brandon and Austin. As far as the season so far… we take it one game at a time.”
Brandon Edmonds led the team with 17 rebounds in the game, while Austin Ryan led all scorers with 20. Ryan was also only one of two Comets to make a three-pointer, as he made two of his five attempts.
The main statistical difference was the Comets’ ability to get to the charity stripe. The Comets outshot the Wolverines from the line, going 21-of-30, compared to the Wolverines’ 8-of-14. Delavan-Darien also recorded 16 assists compared to its 12 turnovers.
The team now sits at 6-3 overall and is 4-1 in SLC play. In second place in the SLC is Westosha Central, which is 3-1. The Comets were scheduled to play Tuesday on the road against (3-8) Elkhorn.
The Elks were 0-5 in SLC play and coming off a 63-60 loss
