By Jennifer Cesarz
Correspondent
Last Friday night was a game the Delavan-Darien High School boys basketball team will not likely forget, as the Comets knocked off Waterford in Southern Lakes Conference action in double overtime, 75-74.
With the win, the Comets are now 2-10 in the conference and 4-15 overall.
On Feb. 4, the Comets hosted Lake Geneva Badger and lost 77-59.
Isiah Ramos had 21 points in the loss, and Stephen Rodriguez added 13.
Hosting Waterford on Friday night, the Comets relied on every player to lift them to the win.
“We had a night where everyone stepped up when they needed to,” D-DHS head coach Bob Beighton said. “To win close games, you need everyone, and we got important contributions from everyone at critical times when we needed it to survive their run.”
Some of those contributions included a new team record with 16 made three-point baskets and an individual record of three-point baskets in a season by Isiah Ramos. Ramos has 61 three-pointers, breaking Brad Alberts’ record of 59, which has been standing for 25 years. Also key were baskets by John Damrow to send the game into overtime, William Brown’s two successful three-point baskets in the second overtime and Ethan Cesarz’s game-winning bucket.
The Comets started out with the first-quarter lead at 16-12 and then built on that lead in the second quarter, outscoring the Wolverines 13-5 to take the 29-17 halftime lead.
In the second half, Waterford came back and outscored the Comets 18-14 to cut into the Comet lead, making it an eight-point lead at 43-35.
Waterford took over the game in the fourth quarter and pulled ahead of the Comets, but the Comets didn’t give up, and with time expiring, Damrow scored, sending the game into overtime.
“Waterford played very well in the second half,” Beighton said. “We were just a little more resilient than in the past.”
That resiliency carried into the first overtime when the Comets and Wolverines remained even, with both teams putting five points on the board, sending it into a second overtime period.
It was the second overtime period where the Comets proved to be a bit stronger. With teams trading baskets back and forth, Brown came up big for the Comets with his two three-point baskets to keep pace with the Wolverines.
With 12 seconds left in the game, and Waterford holding to a one-point lead, Cesarz got the clutch basket for the Comets to put them up 75-74.
Waterford had two chances to win the game in the final seconds, but both resulted in turnovers and the Comets went on for the emotional victory.
Isiah Ramos finished with 20 points including six three-point baskets.
Brown got all his points from the three-point shot, scoring 18 points and picking up five assists.
Damrow added 11 points and seven rebounds, and Isaac Ramos added nine points.
Stephen Rodriguez added eight points and Jesse Collins had seven.
The boys have two games left in the regular season. Friday night the Comets host Westosha Central in a 7:45 p.m. double header with the girls team. It is also senior night for the Comets.
Monday night the Comets travel to Burlington for a 7 p.m. game.
