LIBERTY TOWNSHIP – The Wilmington girls basketball season came to a close Wednesday in the Division I sectional at Lakota East High School with a 59-41 loss to Mason.
Wilmington standout and future Seton Hall Pirate Mya Jackson led all scorers with 24 points. Her stellar career ends with 2,033 points, good for third overall in Clinton County hoops history.
Mason’s Sammie Puisis, who is headed to Florida State, finished with 17 points to share team-high honors with Alanna Carter.
The Comets (18-5) pulled away from the Hurricane (19-5) for good with an 11-2 run to start the second half. The flurry pushed Mason’s 29-27 halftime lead to 40-29 with 5:02 left in the third quarter.
Wilmington would get no closer than nine after that, 43-34 with 7:38 left in the game.
Mason scored seven of the game’s last eight points, all coming during a free throw parade that started with 2:24 left in the contest.
“When it came down to it, Mason executed the little things better than we did tonight,” WHS head coach Zach Williams said. “We got beat on some screens we knew were coming. We didn’t get rebounds we needed to get. We had turnovers in crucial situations. And they didn’t have those.
“Little things in close games against good teams catch up to you quick.”
The first quarter was a back-and-forth affair with a tie and five lead changes until a 7-2 Mason spurt put the Comets up 20-15.
The Comets doubled their cushion by the 2:24 mark of the second quarter, 29-19.
Wilmington scored the final eight points of the half to pull within 29-27.
“I enjoyed the season. It was a great year. We hadn’t lost since the middle of December,” Williams said. “It’s a great group of girls to be around. We only had three seniors, but they are three seniors who will be hard to replace.”
SUMMARY
February 20, 2019
Division I Sectional
@Lakota East High School
Mason 59 Wilmington 41
M 20.09.14.16…..59
W 15.12.05.09…..41
(41) WILMINGTON (fg-3fg-ft-tp) Jamiel 3-0-0-6 Jackson 7-3-7-24 McCord 0-0-1-1 Johns 1-1-0-3 Morgan 2-0-1-5 Self 0-0-0-0 Victor 0-0-0-0 Harris 1-0-0-2. TOTALS 14-4-9-41
(59) MASON (fg-3fg-ft-tp) Tucker 1-0-2-4 Carter 6-0-5-17 Wagner 2-2-1-7 Puisis 7-2-1-17 Popplewell 4-1-1-10 Cary 0-0-0-0 Dawes 0-0-0-0 Moser 1-0-2-4. TOTALS 21-5-12-59
FIELD GOALS: W (14-41) Jackson 7-24 Jamiel 3-7 Morgan 2-4; M (21-42) Puisis 7-12 Carter 6-12 Popplewell 4-7
3 PT FIELD GOALS: W (4-19) Jackson 3-13; M (5-12)
FREE THROWS: W (9-12) Jackson 7-8; M (12-18)
REBOUNDS: W-23 (Morgan 5 Jackson 5 McCord 3 Harris 2 Jamiel 2); M-28 (Popplewell 8 Puisis 7)
ASSISTS: W-9 (McCord 6 Jamiel 3); M-8 (Wagner 3)
STEALS: W-4 (Johns 2); M-7
BLOCKED SHOTS: W-2 (Harris 2); M-2
TURNOVERS: W-15; M-10
