Oakwood’s solid first half not enough to overcome Unity
BY FRED KRONER
fred@mahometnews.com
Oakwood’s girls’ basketball team learned a lesson that many programs, coaches and fans alike must accept this time of the year.
A season seldom ends the way those associated with a program would hope, unless it’s with a championship-game victory.
The Comets dropped a 50-47 decision to Tolono Unity on Thursday in the semifinals of the Maroa-Forsyth Class 2A Regional.
For a half, Oakwood was on fire. The Comets led 22-12 at the break and coach Stephanie Marsh said, “we played really solid, a good first half.”
With Aaliyah Denius excelling in her role as the chaser in Oakwood’s box-and-one defense – that was designed to slow down Unity’s all-time scoring leader, Elyce Knudsen – the Comets built a double-digit lead.
Knudsen was limited to one first-half field goal.
In the second half, Knudsen and Rocket teammate Maddie Reed took control. Knudsen scored all 15 of Unity’s third-quarter points, but Oakwood still carried a 39-27 lead into the last eight minutes.
“Overall, Aaliyah did a good job,” Marsh said. “They were setting more screens for her, and she is quick coming off the screens.”
Knudsen hit the final six of her game-high 27 points in the final stanza, but it took a three-point shooting spree by Reed, who drained four late three-point shots, to enable Unity to pull ahead. Reed finished with 19 points, 13 in the final frame.
Freshman Addie Wright led Oakwood with 15 points. Senior Katelyn Young added 12 points.
“I hated to see the season end,” Marsh said. “Addie was starting to figure it out.”
Young’s career-record school scoring mark concludes at 2,361 points.
“I’m excited to see her do bigger and better things next year at Murray State,” Marsh said.
The Comets (23-8) wound up winning 99 games during Young’s varsity career. Young and point guard Aubrey Wells are the lone seniors on this year’s team.
“We’ll still have a solid team next year,” Marsh said. “It’s a matter of figuring it all out.”
Denius, Wells and Karsen Rupp all scored six points against Unity (20-9), which returns to Maroa tonight to play Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin (27-5) in the championship game. The winner advances to next week’s Paris Sectional.
