Sydney Comer leads Canton South High School girls basketball to a sectional championship
CANTON TWP. — The ladders went up. The nets came down. Just the way the Canton South girls basketball team planned it.
The No. 18-seeded Wildcats continued their strong season with a 52-36 win over No. 31 Field on Saturday in an OHSAA Division II, Northeast 2 sectional final.
It was the final home game in the career of Canton South senior Sydney Comer and she certainly made the most of it against the Falcons. Comer totaled 19 points, five rebounds and four blocked shots.
"This feels really good," Comer said. "I think we worked really well as a team today and played together really well. I'm proud of how we reacted to this challenge. I'm really happy that I get to say that my last game on this court was a win."
Comer managed her strong game despite not being 100% for the contest.
"She has been battling through a shoulder injury," Canton South head coach Adam Hall said. "Despite that, she came out and played really well for us this afternoon."
The big game continued Comer's surge in the second half of the season for the Wildcats.
"She struggled early in the season but she has really found her rhythm," Hall said. "She provides us with a lot of leadership off the court. On the court, she plays a big role for us defensively. She has a great nose for the ball and always seems to be around it."
Canton South's defensive intensity was impressive. Their ability to limit second-chance opportunities, force contested shots and create turnovers was a big reason why the Wildcats raced out to a 30-13 lead by halftime. None of that was by accident. Defense is the identity of the team.
"We spend about half of our practices working on defense," Comer said. "Playing solid defense and keeping the pressure up is a big part of what we like to do as a team."
Canton South outrebounded Field 26-20. Doriana Hastings-Peterson had eight points and led the Wildcats in rebounds with seven.
"We hang our hat on our defense," Hall said. "I thought we played really hard today and followed the game plan. Our goals were to handle their pressure, limit their transition opportunities and prevent offensive rebounds. I thought we did all three. I'm really proud of the girls."
Delilah Rahe was the leading scorer for Field with 16 points. No other Falcon scored more than seven points.
Canton South (15-9) advances to play No. 10 Shaker Heights Laurel (14-10) in a district semifinal at 6 p.m. Wednesday at Nordonia High School.
The Gators are led by sophomore guard Saniyah Hall. Hall is ranked third in the country in the Class of 2026 HoopGurlz Recruiting Rankings on ESPN. She has offers from 26 colleges, including USC. Hall averages 26.4 points, 11.4 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game.
"We know that game is going to be a challenge for us," Adam Hall said. "She is a terrific player and ranked No. 3 in the country as a sophomore for a reason. We are going to get back in the gym and start working hard on Monday."
Reach Cliff at cliff.hickman@cantonrep.com
On Twitter: @chickmanREP
This article originally appeared on The Repository: Canton South High School girls basketball wins sectional title
