By RYAN ARENA

Sports Editor

The St. Charles Lady Comets’ hopes of a wildcard playoff spot ended in disappointing fashion last Friday night, as they fell to district foe Brusly in their regular season finale, 55-47.

The Panthers got out to a 22-11 halftime lead, and were able to keep the Comets from going on a sustained run for a comeback.

“We lost it in the first quarter,” said St. Charles Coach Erin Remondet. “They were a little better than we were on that particular night.”

At the time, Brusly’s (5-18, 3-5) loss to Lutcher earlier in the week meant that a Comets (15-14, 2-6) win would have secured third place in District 9-3A. While only the top two teams were guaranteed playoff spots, third place would have at least had a chance to secure a wildcard position.

Remondet said that her players knew the stakes, and played accordingly.

“They played as if it were a playoff game,” she said. “They played very hard, they listened and applied what we told them on the court. We were just eight points short.”

Brusly’s Shantrell Pierson had a big night to lift her team, scoring 28 points.

Senior Michelle Marzoni led the Comets with 18 points, including four 3-pointers. Brooke Becker scored 15, and Brittany Roussel added eight.

In the teams’ previous meeting, Brusly was able to score on a number of fast break opportunities, aided by a poor shooting night by the Comets. This time, St. Charles was able to limit the Panthers in the transition game, but Brusly answered the call in its halfcourt offense.

“They shot a high percentage and were able to hurt us, even though we took away most of their fast break points,” Remondet said.

It wasn’t the ideal way for St. Charles to end its season, but Remondet says that it was a step in the right direction overall.

“It ended bitterly, but looking back at it, we had a good season,” she said. “We had a big winning streak in December. We ran into a couple bumps in the road in district play and fell just short of the playoffs.

“I think overall, our seniors will look back, and the end will hurt. But as a whole, we did pretty well.”