MAYVILLE, ND – For back-to-back seasons, the #18 Mayville State women's basketball team has captured the North Star Athletic Association regular season championship. Friday night, the Comets defeated the Presentation College Saints 66-55 at the Lewy Lee Fieldhouse. Mayville State led at all quarter breaks.
"We didn't play great, but played good enough to win a conference championship," Comets head coach Dennis Hutter said.
The two teams battled back-and-forth during the first minute-plus of the first quarter, as Jada Campbell brought the Saints out to an early 3-0, answered back a short time later with a huge three-pointer by Alissa Foster. Taylor Shamp gave the Comets a two-point lead with 8:29 to go, only to be answered, on the next transition by Tone' Oglesby, who tied the game at 5-5.
With the Comets down 9-7, Nicole Bunting took a pass from Andrea Skillingstad, and Bunting drained a three-pointer, giving the Comets the lead, which held for 10 seconds. Brooke Heairet gave the Saints the lead back. Bunting answered and gave the Comets the lead back with just over three-and-a-half minutes left in the first quarter. Oglesby gave the Saints the lead right back, just six seconds later. A free-throw later by Karly Sanchez gave the Saints a two-point lead, and Skillingstad cut into the lead with 2:58 left in the quarter.
The Comets closed the first quarter on a 4-2, paced by Foster's second three-pointer of the evening.
Neither team held greater than a two-point lead, until Kylee Heurung gave the Comets a 28-24 lead with 3:59 to go in the half.
Sanchez again gave the Saints the lead with 24 seconds left in the half on a free-throw, but a Bunting jumper with nine seconds left gave the Comets the slim one-point margin, 30-29, at halftime.
Haylie Vallery came out just 1:11 into the third quarter and nailed a bucket, giving Presentation College a one-point lead yet again. Campbell extended the lead to two points, but Skillingstad evened the game with 8:17 to go in the third quarter.
A Sanchez three-pointer gave the Saints a three-point lead with 7:30 to go, a lead that would stick until Bunting hit back-to-back three pointers, the latter which gave the Comets a 40-37 lead with 5:46 to go in the third quarter.
Aimee Campbell cut the lead to one with 5:18 to go, and then an Oglesby miss, rebounded by Sanchez led to Campbell's second bucket, giving the Saints the lead, yet again, by one point.
Mayville State tied the game at 42-42, and then, 59 seconds later, went ahead 45-42 on a Claire Blascziek three-pointer. A Skillingstad free-throw came with 54 seconds left in the third, and a Heurung three-pointer gave the Comets a seven-point lead with 54 seconds left.
Back-to-back threes by Blascziek and Heurung, in the fourth quarter, extended the lead to 11 points. Campbell was only to bring the game to within seven points twice in the final quarter.
Three Comets finished in double-figures—Bunting led with 22 points, followed by Blascziek's 12 points; and Heurung had a double-double with 11 points and 13 rebounds.
Two Saints finished in double-figures, with Campbell scoring 18 points; and Oglesby scoring 10.
The Comets finish the regular season with an 11-3 conference record, and a 22-5 overall record.
"I am so proud of this group of seniors and all that they have accomplished—22-5 overall, 11-3 in the league and back-to-back conference champs," Hutter said. "So proud of them. Now the fun time of the year begins—tournament time."
The Comets will host the Waldorf Warriors in the opening round of the North Star Athletic Association conference tournament. The Warriors and Comets will tip off next Wednesday at 7 p.m. at the Lewy Lee Fieldhouse in Mayville. The tournament will shift to the Watertown Civic Arena in Watertown, S.D., on Saturday and Sunday.