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Irish dynamic duo does in Rebels
YOUNGSTOWN
Ursuline’s Dayshanette Harris and Simone Comer were just too much for Crestview to handle.
Comer and Harris combined for 46 points in the first half Saturday as the Irish built a huge lead on their way to a 77-45 victory in a Division III sectional final victory.
Comer had 23 of her 26 points in the first half, including 17 in the second quarter alone. Harris had 22 of her 32 in the first half, including 14 in the first quarter.
The two of them also clamped down defensively, helping Ursuline hold Crestview without a field goal in a decisive second quarter, when the Irish outscored the Rebels 31-1.
Crestview had 21 turnovers in the first half alone.
“We came out and handled our business, our defensive presence was there and that was my major concern,” said Ursuline head coach Vannessa Dickson. “I just wanted them to get stops on the defensive end, first and foremost, and then our offense kind of took care of itself.”
Crestview head coach Rick Gates wasn’t offended by Ursuline’s prodigious second quarter.
“That just took us out of the game there and that was to their credit,” Gates said. “They played good defense and they did a phenomenal job both hitting their shots and mixing it up driving into the key. It’s a credit to them.”
Comer seemed more pleased with the defensive effort of her team than her individual performance.
“We played great team ball together,” Comer said. “We’ve been working on our defense so I think that got a little bit better today. I think that’s where we won the game.”
Both Comer, a senior, and Harris, a sophomore, are more than capable of giving any team migraines on either end of the court going forward, just as they showed against Crestview.
“She means everything to me. I couldn’t do none of this without her,” Comer said. “We need each other. I got her back, she got my back.”
But Dickson said Comer is more than just a leader for her young teammates.
“She’s a senior, this is her fourth tournament appearance and she’s been preparing for this,” the coach said. “We play a lot of sophomores so she’s the one that kind of calms them down. But today, that’s definitely the Simone I know.”
Gates, whose team was lead by freshman Tanner Hoffer with 16 points and 11 rebounds, was just happy to see his players compete hard against such capable players on such a well-rounded team.
“It’s a great atmosphere good for our program to play a quality team like this,” he said. “We knew coming in that athletically we could not match up with several of their guards. They have great guard play and they have such solid inside play.”
Next up is Mooney who Ursuline has already defeated twice this season.
“I’m excited to play them. It’s been very competitive the first two times,” Dickson said. “But this is a tournament game atmosphere and the loser goes home. Those kids play hard for [Erica Wilson], it’s always a rivalry, so we’ll definitely be ready for the challenge on Wednesday. I’m looking forward to it.”