Comets press past Lusher

Published 12:00 am Wednesday, December 1, 2010

By RYAN ARENA

L’Observateur

LAPLACE — St. Charles collected its first win of the season and it came in front of their home fans Monday, as the Comets defeated Lusher, 47-30.

Kacie Braud had a big night, scoring a game high 24 points for the Comets. Emily Picciola had nine and Courtney Snyder added seven.

“Everyone stepped up and got it together,” said Braud. “We started a little earlier than we expected, but once the game started, we did our thing.”

Due to a number of Lusher players leaving the team last week, the Lions were left shorthanded on the junior varsity squad. As a result, SCC agreed to play the game early, before the JV game.

St. Charles coach Kelly Cupit said her team responded well to the change.

“We found out at 4:15 that we’d be playing early and I wasn’t sure how much that would affect our team,” said Cupit. “But everyone was excited to go out and get a win.”

Said Braud: “It was tougher getting pumped up, but we did what we had to do to win.”

For Lusher (1-3), Kelsey Murray led the way with 12 points.

St. Charles (1-4) led 14-8 after the first quarter and continued to build their lead from there.

“We were able to convert a number of fast break opportunities off of our defense,” said Cupit. “We played man to man and got our share of steals. That always makes it easier on your offense.”

The Comets led by 12 late in the third quarter but began to put the game out of reach in the frame’s final minutes, ending it on a quick 5-0 run capped by a Braud’s layup to make it 34-17.

Murray led a brief Lions rally as the Lusher defensive pressure opened up some opportunities, fueling a 6-0 run. Murray made two layups in that span, making it 35-24 in the fourth quarter.

But St. Charles answered via a pair of Snyder free throws. Then Braud began to take over, scoring first on a pair of foul shots, then on a steal and a layup, then on an inside move. When she was done, SCC led 47-26 and the game was all but over.