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Weary Comets claim title at tourney SEATTLE � Playing their ninth and 10th games in a week with only eight players would physically wear down most teams. The Crater High girls basketball team proved to be up to the challenge Saturday by winning two games en route to the title of the Midsummer Night�s 2000 basketball tournament. The Comets slipped by Lake Washington High in the semifinals, 55-50, before downing Lake Oswego, 72-54, in an all-Oregon finale. The Comets showed a little of the effects of the strenuous schedule during the tournament with a slow start in the semis. Crater, after numerous turnovers to start the game, settled down with the help of a trapping half-court defense. The Comets ran out to a 31-19 lead at halftime. That same pressure applied by Crater in the first half turned against them in the second when Lake Washington broke out for several easy lay-ups. With the score knotted at 45 and three minutes remaining, Janell Sapienza converted a three-point play for Crater and Brandy Hall followed that with a 3-pointer on the next possession. Sapienza sank a jumper and Hall scored on an offensive put-back, stamping the Comets ticket into the final. Sarah Pool led Crater with 13 points while Sapienza added 12 to go along with five boards and four steals. Jody McLeod finished with 11 points and eight rebounds and Amy Denson had nine points and nine boards. Things were once again tight early in the championship final, but Crater would not be denied. Pool started a 19-5 run that closed the first half with a jumper in the lane. Chelsea Anhorn scored on a lay-up and then really broke Lake Oswego�s back with a 3-point bomb. Denson and McLeod took over in the low post and the Comets lead never dipped below 16 for the remainder of the contest. Denson scored 19 points and pulled down nine boards to lead the way. McLeod had 14 points and eight rebounds while Pool added 13 points and four assists. Pool, Denson and McLeod also earned all-tournament honors, with McLeod named as the tournament�s most valuable player. The Comets, being the high school division champions, were supposed to play Orange County, the winner of the all-star division, in the overall championship game. But Orange County pulled out of the game because of an injury to their point guard, leaving Crater with the overall title by forfeit. Obituaries | Sports | Business | Classifieds | Tempo | Prime Times | So Oregon Sites | Outdoor Journal | Subscribe | Contact | Movies | Advertise | Real Estate Showcase | Archive | Editorials | Letters to the editor | Religion | Wake-up Call | NIE | Cyber Chef | Job Network | So Oregon Weather | WSJ Northwest | Forums | AP Wire | AP Money | F.A.Q. | Awards Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. The Community Newspaper Subsidiary of Dow Jones & Co, Inc Copyright �The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA