'It was our best game': Jonesville girls basketball emphatically ends regional drought
JONESVILLE — In front of its home crowd in a packed gymnasium, the Jonesville girls basketball team broke a 14-year district playoff drought. And they did it in style.
Its 58-35 clobbering of Quincy on Friday was the team's best overall performance this season, a major leap from their 36-30 victory over the Orioles in the regular season on Jan. 26. The team played with confidence in taking their shots from deep and leaned on their rugged defense to open up a 20-0 lead that sucked the life out of the visiting Oriole crowd.
"It was our best game," coach Tom Dunn said. "We hit shots and when you hit shots the game is a lot easier. I thought our intensity was through the roof and they fed off of those made shots."
Senior Lyra Nichols could not miss from 3-point range in the first half, hitting four triples, while junior Alexis Trine went to the basket for eight points in the first half. After scoring the first 20 points, the Comets led 27-9 at halftime, and the Orioles were in survival mode.
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Deziray Skirka had 10 points in the third quarter for Quincy, but the Comets gained ground to lead 50-27. Junior Haley Mach knocked in three triples in the third quarter, aided by another five points from Nichols and five from Trine.
Nichols led the team with 18 points, five triples, five assists, three steals and three rebounds on a night where the Jonesville fan base played a big part in the result.
"I got to thank the people that came out to support us," Nichols said. "Dunn told us before the game started, we needed to absorb the atmosphere and I think that atmosphere was there for us. We can give them half the credit for the win."
Trine had 15 points and four rebounds, while Mach ended the night with 15 points, five triples, six assists and three rebounds. Seniors Gracen Hager and Morgan Baker each provided two points. Hager had four rebounds and three assists. Korra Estel led the team with four steals.
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It has been 14 years since the Comets brought home the title, despite the team having plenty of winning seasons and shots at one in Dunn's 10-year career. The coach was proud of the seniors and the team for getting it done in front of a hungry home crowd and Comet community supporters.
"I'm just so proud of these kids. I'm thankful we got all these fans that came out. It was the best atmosphere of the year for these guys. They deserve it," he said. "They've played hard all year. We just appreciate everyone coming. I'm proud of our seniors and their effort. They've hung in there all year, and this has been our goal all year long and we accomplished the mission."
The win sends the Comets on to the Division 3, Region 21 semifinals. Jonesville (14-10) now faces Michigan Center (21-3), which beat Springport 57-42 to win the District 83 title.
The teams faced off earlier this season, a 55-35 win for the Cardinals during what a 14-game winning streak. The game will be played Monday, March 11, at 5:30 p.m. All tickets must be bought at GoFan for MHSAA postseason events.
The region will be played at Leslie, where the Blackhawks will also play in the other semifinal against New Lothrop. The Cardinals and Blackhawks both reside in the Cascades East, while Jonesville plays in the West, giving the conference three teams from the league.
This article originally appeared on Hillsdale Daily News: Michigan girls basketball: Jonesville ends 14-year district drought
