Comets Upset Unbeaten LaSalle

Wed, 2012-01-11 09:45
LaSalle upset

 

City bragging rates were on the line Tuesday night at the Mason Basketball Arena when the Comets and LaSalle Lancers squared off for a non-league battle. It would be Mason's night to shout as the Comets upset LaSalle by a final score of 54-47.
 
LaSalle, the Division 1 defending State Champions, entered the contest with an unblemished 8-0 mark. Mason (9-1) was riding a 6-game winning streak. LaSalle and Mason held the No. 2 and No. 3 spots in the Enquirer's coaches poll before the evening began. The two schools last met in 2011 with LaSalle gaining a 68-44 win.

The first quarter saw both teams "trade punches" and finish even at 12-12. Mason opened the 2nd quarter with a 14-2 run, holding LaSalle to a single field quarter heading to halftime.  The Lancers went on a 10-0 run coming out of the locker room, cutting the Comet lead to a deuce with 3:30 left in the third quarter. Mason countered with a 5-0 spurt of their own.

The game headed to the final quarter with Mason holding a precarious 3-point advantage (35-32). Mason established a 44-38 lead with 4 minutes remaining. LaSalle cut the lead to 3 with less than three on the clock. In the final minutes, LaSalle was forced to foul, while the Comets made free throws when they counted, handing the Lancers their first loss of the season. 

"It was a hard fought win for us this evening," said Mason head coach Greg Richards. "Tonight you saw two very good teams playing hard. We're very happy to get this win. Right now we're just taking it one game at a time." 

The Comets shot 61% from the field on the night. Mason got balanced scoring from three players; Darin Harris (15), JD Sprague (13) and Mike Van Kleuen (12).

On a side note, tonight's win over LaSalle, was Mason's first win over a GCL school in a regular season contest. The Comets are off to one of the best starts in school history.  Mason extended their winning streak to 7 in a row and advance their overall record to 10-1. The team will be back in action this Friday when they host the defending GMC Champs, Lakota East.