By RYAN ARENA

Sports Editor

St. Charles entered district play last week for the first time since moving up to District 9-3A, and it seemed to come at a good time — on the heels of a strong December that saw a stretch where the Lady Comets won 7-of-8 games.

But fortunes turned for St. Charles last week, as it fell to 0-2 in district play after a home loss to Port Allen on Tuesday, 50-44, and a loss at Plaquemine on Friday, 81-46.

“I’ve told our girls, we have to win on our home court now, and steal a few on the road,” said St. Charles Coach Erin Remondet. “Our overall goal is and has been to make the playoffs. We can still finish in if not first, then second place.”

The Comets struggled both in shooting from the field and with turnovers against Port Allen (3-12, 2-0), which took a 38-25 lead into the fourth quarter. St. Charles (13-10, 0-2) turned it over 22 times in the game.

The Comets offense finally showed some life in the fourth quarter, where it ultimately closed the gap to six, but Port Allen was able to hold on for the victory.

“We shot so terribly. That one was a big setback both for me and for my girls,” said Remondet. “Take absolutely nothing away from Port Allen, they earned the win. But we still felt it was a game we should have won, and the team was very upset afterwards.”

Michelle Marzoni led the Comets with 16 points. Brooke Becker added 11 with seven rebounds. Brittany Roussel added six points.

The Comets had little time to gather themselves though, as their next challenge came Friday, on the road against a Plaquemine team considered by most to be the District 9-3A favorite.

The Green Devils (12-7, 2-0) outscored the Comets 18-6 in the first quarter and led 33-17 at halftime. A 48-point second half for Plaquemine’s offense put the contest completely out of reach.

Becker led the Comets with 25 points and 16 rebounds. Marzoni added 12 with three assists and Roussel notched six with seven rebounds.

Kelli Jenkins led Plaquemine with 23, while Walneisha Warner scored 20.

St. Charles again struggled to take care of the ball, turning it over 21 times.

“They’re a tough matchup for us on any day,” said Remondet. “We had too many turnovers to even keep the game close. We needed to control time of possession as much as we could and not allow them to fast break on us. We got flustered though, and got into a running game with them, which we can’t afford to do.”

But Remondet says those losses are now behind her team, and she has no doubt that it is mentally ready to rebound.

“They are ready,” Remondet said. “This team hasn’t won as much in the past, and our seniors have been very vocal about not letting those two losses put us in a hole.

“We had a long talk in the locker room after the Port Allen game. It left a bad taste in our mouths. They’ve refocused, and I can tell they’re ready to play.”