Boys win two after losing to Fort Atkinson
By Kevin Cunningham
Correspondent
The Delavan-Darien High School girls basketball team lost two games after winning its first game of the season while the boys team did the opposite.
Girls basketball
After a 62-60 win in Delavan-Darien High School girls basketball season-opener over a Clinton team that beat the team by 22 a year ago, the Comets have reason for promise.
The team went 3-19 last year, and had an opportunity to gain a couple more wins last week over Whitnall and Whitewater.
Against Whitnall on Dec. 1, the Comets suffered its first defeat, 52-45. Freshman point guard Kat Lopez had a coming out party in her high school basketball debut, and followed it up against Whitnall with a stat-line of 15 points, five rebounds, four assists and three steals to go along with zero turnovers.
Jennah Speth also finished with the team’s lone double-double, scoring 13 points and recording 10 rebounds. Sierra Grubor of Whitnall led all scorers with 17. After a 29-23 deficit at half, the Comets lost the second half, 23-22. Whitnall now stands at 4-1 on the season.
In the Comets’ second game of the week, against defending state champion Whitewater, the team got off to a 5-0 start. Following the early lead however, Whitewater showed its dominance, separating itself in the second half.
Eight Comets played at least nine minutes in the game, showing the team’s depth, and Speth had another double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds. Lopez statistically struggled for the first time in the points department with four, but got six rebounds to go along with her three assists and three steals.
At the 13:30 mark in the second half, Whitewater led 39-28, but then went on a 26-14 run to close the game. Whitewater’s 6-foot-2-inch forward Myriama Smith-Traore, a high-end recruit despite only being a junior, recorded 23 points, 14 rebounds, five steals, three assists and five blocked shots in the eventual 65-42 victory.
The Comets’ next game was set for Tuesday at Burlington High School. Burlington entered with a 1-3 record, winning its last game against Waterford, 44-36.
Boys basketball
After starting the season 0-1 following a 79-55 defeat to Fort Atkinson in the D-DHS boys basketball season-opener, the team had the opportunity to turn things around with two games scheduled this past week.
In the first, against Clinton, the boys responded with a 77-55 victory. After the first half, the score was tied at 38. It was in the second, where the Comets pulled away, outscoring Clinton, 39-17.
Four players scored in double digits, while Lucas Delara led the way with 19 thanks to three 3-pointers. Delara also recorded six rebounds to go along with five assists and two steals. Seth Kirsch had a double-double, scoring 10 points and grabbing 13 rebounds while recording the team’s only two blocks.
In the Comets’ third game of the season, which took place on Friday, the boys were at home for the first time all season and got to show its crowd a victory. The team defeated Westosha Central, 75-66, pushing its record to 2-1 in the early part of the season.
Austin Ryan scored a game-high 25 points, knocking down five three-pointers in the process. The Comets trailed at half, 30-25. Then in the second half, the team went on to score 50 en route to the win.
The Comets were scheduled to play Monday at Milton High School.
