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Mason girls’ basketball coach Rob Matula isn’t worried about his players looking ahead to a possible Division I regional final matchup against the only team to have defeated the Comets this season.

“That would be just wonderful if that happened,” Matula said. “But the thing about this group that I think really sets them apart is that they have really been one to be really centrally focused on the game at hand.”

Mason’s opponent in Wednesday’s 8 p.m. regional semifinal at Wright State University’s Nutter Center is a familiar one.

Kettering Fairmont (23-1) defeated the Comets in the regional finals last year and in the regional semifinals in 2011. Ranked No. 2 in the final Associated Press Division I statewide poll, the Firebirds’ only loss this season came against Centerville in late January.

Mason won the Enquirer Division I area girls’ basketball coaches’ poll and was No. 4 in the AP state poll. Senior Kayla McDowell (16.8 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.8 assists per game) and junior guard Jenna Gunn (12.9 points, 6.3 rebounds) lead the Comets (22-1).

“I’ve seen them a number of different times,” Matula said of Kettering Fairmont. “They have two of the finest post players around. They’re bigger and stronger than we are in the post, but I like the match-up. I think from one to five, if we’re not even, maybe they have us a little bit on strength.”

Princeton (19-7) and Centerville (25-1) play at 6:15 p.m. Wednesday in the other Division I regional semifinal at Wright State University.

The Vikings, who handed Mason its only loss on Feb. 2, are making their fourth consecutive appearance in the regional tournament and have not lost since junior guard Kelsey Mitchell returned in late January after missing 15 games with a broken bone in her foot. She averages 23.9 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.3 assists.

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Mason and Talawanda have won the Enquirer Division I and Divisions II-IV area girls’ basketball coaches’ poll titles, respectively.

Mason (19-1) opens the Division I sectional tournament Feb. 20 at Kings against either Oak Hills or Woodward.

“I am most proud that his group of players always stayed focused no matter who we were playing,” Mason coach Rob Matula said. “They always seemed to bring their best efforts both in practice and in games.”

Talawanda (21-0) plays Batavia at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Withrow in the Division II sectional tournament opener.

“Last year when we came in (as a coach) I knew we had a lot of talent,” Talawanda coach Kim Richter said. “I think what has been special this year is the girls have found what their roles have been on the team. Each individual has something special to bring to the program.”

Boys’ basketball has one more regular-season week before the sectional tournaments begin the week of Feb. 18.

Senior forward Kayla McDowell scored 23 points and grabbed 15 rebounds while junior forward Jenna Gunn added 14 points and seven rebounds as Mason remained unbeaten and cruised to its 15th consecutive win, 65-43, Thursday night against McAuley.

Mason is the unanimous No. 1 team in this week’s Enquirer Division I coaches’ poll. The Comets are also ranked third in the Associated Press state poll.

McAuley (11-5) is ranked No. 5 in the Enquirer poll but becomes the sixth member of the current top 10 beaten by Mason this season. Sophomore guard Sydney Lambert led McAuley with 16 points.

“Defense has been our main focus this year,” said senior guard Sydney Neal, who had five points, three assists and one steal. “People don’t realize we have so much depth. Even with our subs we’re always going 100 percent and always charging at you. They don’t know what to do because we don’t have just one main player. Everybody on our team has strengths and that makes us a unit.”

Mason had 12 players log at least three minutes of playing time Thursday. Ten of those players scored and 10 players got at least one rebound as the Comets out-rebounded McAuley 43-15.

The Comets led 11-2 midway through the first quarter and were never threatened.

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Mason senior forward Kayla McDowell eclipsed 1,000 career points on Saturday afternoon. But Comets head coach Rob Matula said the milestone doesn’t tell the whole story of McDowell’s career.

“She’s so much more than just a scorer,” Matula said. “She worked hard at expanding her game. She’s improved handling the ball. She’s not just a back-to-the-basket player.”

McDowell scored 19 points on Saturday giving her 1,013 for her career, as Mason, ranked No. 1 in the Enquirer Division I coaches’ poll, defeated No. 5 Lakota West, 54-41.

She reached 1,000 points on a rebound and layup with 7:06 remaining in the third quarter. The game was stopped momentarily as fans from both teams applauded, and Mason fans and bench players held up green “1,000” signs.

“It’s quite an accomplishment,” said Matula of McDowell’s 1,000-plus points. “It doesn’t happen often. She’s my second (1,000-point scorer) in 15 years of coaching. It’s certainly a testament to her hard work.”

McDowell, who scored 14 points in the second half, appeared humbled by the planned celebration, which included replacing the ball as a keepsake. “I didn’t think it was going to be that big of a deal,” she said. “I just wanted to get it over with. I couldn’t have done it without my teammates. I love this group of girls. They work so hard to get me the ball.”

The Comets, ranked No. 3 in the state poll, also got 10 points from Sydney Neal to improve to 14-0. Rachel Tomasic scored 12 points for Lakota West on four 3-pointers.

McDowell, who has signed with the University of Missouri, entered Saturday averaging 16.3 points. But Lakota West’s defense made things difficult for her early in the game.

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After leading for most of the game, Mason’s first girls’ basketball victory over Princeton in at least eight seasons was slipping away in the fourth quarter.

Vikings junior guard Jada Ballew connected on a putback to complete Princeton’s comeback from an 11-point deficit to a 40-40 tie with 6:34 left in their Greater Miami Conference game Saturday at Princeton.

Instead of folding, the Comets regrouped. Senior guard Sarah Ammons made a free throw 14 seconds later to give Mason the lead for good. Missouri-bound senior Kayla McDowell followed with two free throws with 5:50 left, helping the Comets put together a 12-1 run on their way to a 54-45 win over the No. 1 team in the Enquirer’s Division I coaches’ poll.

“I just think we’re a senior-led team,” said McDowell, who scored 14 points and played all but 30 seconds. “We just looked at each other and said, ‘This is not going to happen again.’ We pulled tight and stayed together.”

According to the GMC website, Mason had lost at least 11 consecutive games to Princeton, starting in Nov. 2004. The records don’t go back further, and Mason coach Rob Matula didn’t know the last time the Comets, the Enquirer’s No. 2 team, had beaten the Vikings.

“It is big,” Matula said. “It’s 1 vs. 2 in the city at their place. It’s huge. It’s a big win for us, but I’m not going to say it’s bigger than any other win.”

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