State-ranked Lakota West, Mason girls meet with GMC title on the line

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Scott Springer on Mason’s Sammie Puisis The Enquirer/Scott Springer

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Lakota West's Abby Prohaska drives to the basket against Hamilton Wednesday, January 31st at Lakota West High School(Photo: Alex Vehr for the Enquirer)Buy Photo

MASON - The Greater Miami Conference crown is at stake on Saturday afternoon when the Mason Comets host the Lakota West Firebirds at Mason Middle School arena.

Lakota West has already claimed a share of the GMC title, but can it win it outright for the third time in four years with a victory on Saturday. Mason is looking to earn a share of the throne for a second straight season.

Lakota West comes into the matchup riding a 29-game conference winning streak. The Firebirds last regular-season GMC loss was Dec. 3, 2016, a two-point defeat at the hands of the Comets.

These two teams annually find themselves atop the GMC standings, usually with Lakota West holding a slight advantage. The Firebirds won the GMC in 2014 and 2015 with Mason finishing as the runner-up before the two split the conference title last season.

The same can be said in the polls, too, with Lakota West (20-1, 15-0) edging Mason (18-3, 14-1) for the top spot in the Enquirer’s latest Division I poll by 25 points.

Mason enjoyed a lift in the latest Associated Press girls’ basketball state poll, jumping to No. 9 in Ohio while Lakota West remained at No. 2.

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Scott Springer with Notre Dame signee Abby Prohaska of Lakota West The Enquirer/Scott Springer

Lakota West

Since winning a state championship in 2015, the Firebirds have had their season end with losses to Mason in the regional final in 2016 and regional semifinals last year.

Currently, Lakota West, ranked No. 2 in the latest AP state poll, has won 20 straight after a season-opening loss to Hamilton Heights, Tennessee. The Firebirds’ average margin of victory is 34.7 points, with only two games all year decided by less than 10 points.

One of those close calls was against Mason Dec. 16. After 11 lead changes, an Abby Prohaska free throw with 1.8 seconds broke a 50-all tie and made the difference in a one-point Lakota West victory. The other single-digit affair was a five-point win over McAuley, the Enquirer’s No. 5 Division I squad.

More: Prohaska prime time productive for Lakota West girls basketball

Forwards - Prohaska scored a game-high 14 points that December afternoon against the Comets. The Notre Dame commit made GMC first team last season and is third in the conference in scoring this year at 15 points per game.

The left-handed senior forward is also fourth in the conference in assists, seventh in rebounds, fifth in three-pointers made and first in steals.

Outside Prohaska, the Firebirds have nine other girls contributing 10-plus minutes per game, including forward Jasmine Ballew.

Ballew, a senior who started just six games last year, has elevated her game this season. She is averaging 10.6 points per game since Dec. 29, including a season-high 17 against Oak Hills.

Kailyn Dudukovich comes off the bench for Lakota West. The freshman averages 5.3 points and 3.7 rebounds per contest.

Guards – The Firebirds have a strong rotation at guard. Junior Bryana Henderson averages 4.5 points and 2.2 steals per game, while senior Sarah Jones has scored in double figures in three of the last five games.

Junior Jaydis Gales and seniors Madisyn Oxley and Ally Haar combine for 16.1 points and 6.8 rebounds per game.

Center – 6-foot-1 sophomore Nevaeh Dean patrols the paint for the Firebirds. Dean, who started 21 games as a freshman last year, leads the team in blocks with 21 and has scored in double figures eight times this season.

 

Mason

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Sammie Puisis races ahead of Hamilton's CiCi Riggins in Mason's victory over the Big Blue Feb. 4. (Photo: The Enquirer/Scott Springer)

Despite losing Samari Mowbray, last year's Defensive Athlete of the Year in the GMC, Mason has been strong defensively this season, yielding just 33.3 points per game over its 13-game winning streak.

The Comets, ranked No. 9 in the state in the lastest AP poll, are 18-3, but they are just a few plays away from being 21-0. On top of their 51-50 loss to Lakota West, the Comets fell to Columbus Africentric, 42-40, to open the season and Louisville Male, 51-48, in Naples, Florida.

More: Opponents often fall to Florida State commit Puisis, Mason girls basketball

Forwards – Mason junior Sammie Puisis is one of Greater Cincinnati’s top girls’ basketball players. The Florida State commit is making a case to repeat as the GMC’s Athlete of the Year this season.

Puisis is second in the conference in scoring (17.6 points per game) and first in three-pointers made (50) and free throw percentage (89.5 percent).

Last season, Puisis averaged 16.6 points per game against Lakota West, helping the Comets eliminate the Firebirds for a second straight year. She was held to just eight points against Lakota West earlier this year, a season-low at the time.

At 6-foot-2, Puisis is able to grab a team-best 6.3 rebounds per game, but she can step back and knock down triples, too. Over three years with the Comets, Puisis has shot 47.7 percent from behind the arc and earlier this year made a career-high seven three-pointers and outscored the GMC’s leading scorer, CiCi Riggins, 38-8, in a win over Hamilton.

Senior forwards Anna Brinkmann and Tihanna Fulton each average 7.6 points and five rebounds per game.

Guards – The beneficiary to Mason’s many point-scorers is Megan Wagner. The sophomore guard leads the GMC in assists (4.7 per game) and scores 5.9 points per contest. 

Junior guard Sade Tucker averages 8.5 points per game and sophomore Alanna Carter has scored 33 points over the last four games off the bench.

Center – Senior Secret Hughes did not play against Lakota West the first time around. The 6-foot-3 center made her debut Jan. 10 when she snagged six rebounds and scored 10 points in a win over Sycamore.

Hughes has seen more playing time recently, though. She has played 81 minutes over the last five games, grabbing 26 boards and scoring 36 points in that span.

 

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