LEXINGTON — Hayden Comeau couldn’t focus on any scoring milestone on Monday night, not in the middle of a high-stakes state playoff game on the road. But in the natural flow of the game, Comeau reached 1,000 points in her final game for the Mahar Regional program.
“It was nerve-wracking,” Comeau said. “But it was definitely good nerves. We knew what we had going into it.”
On the Senators’ first possession of the second half, Comeau caught a pass from Nastasia Sanders on the block just outside the paint. The senior shot immediately and scored off glass to reach the milestone.
“My first instinct is to hug my dad,” Comeau said. “He’s helped me through and through. I want to thank all my coaches that have helped me along the way. Helping to perfect my play down low…all the coaches that I’ve had have been truly helpful.”
After leading for most of the game, the 10th-seeded Senators ended up losing to No. 7 Minuteman Regional, 46-43, in the MIAA Division 5 tournament Round of 16. Comeau finished with 25 points to lead Mahar.
“I thought we played well overall,” Comeau said. “They went on runs. We went on runs. We definitely had some weak spots on defense.”
The teams went into the fourth quarter deadlocked, 31-31. That’s when Minuteman’s Muji Vader took over the game. Vader scored 10 of her 27 points in the first few minutes of the fourth quarter. After a steal and a layup by Vader, the Revolution took a 42-33 lead with four minutes, 37 seconds left.
“When she (Vader) gets a head of steam, she is next level with the ball,” Mahar coach Francis Phillip said. “She is a great finisher. We did everything we could to make her work. But when she gets downhill, she’s tough to stop.”
The Senators mounted a run to end the game after Vader picked up her fifth foul. It started with a 3-pointer from Sanders. Comeau then scored in the paint and went 2-for-2 from the free throw line. As the game went under two minutes, Mahar trailed 45-40.
A bucket by Comeau in the paint made the score 45-43 with 27 seconds left. After a Minuteman free throw, Mahar had two chances to tie the game. Taylor Paluk’s attempt with 18 seconds left just missed. A last second desperation attempt by Comeau also missed as time expired.
Paluk scored 13 points for the Senators. The Revolution took their first lead early in the third quarter. Consecutive baskets by Paluk and a put back by Lexi Ares upped the Mahar lead back to 31-24. Minuteman went on a 7-0 run ignited by Lili Roth’s 3-pointer to send the game into the fourth quarter all tied up.
After the game, family and friends surrounded Comeau for reaching 1,000 points.
“She is the most deserving player,” Phillips said. “She works hard and shows up every day. She’s a good leader on a young team. You love to see those accomplishments for those kinds of people. I was super happy for her.”
The Senators finished 18-4 and won a Franklin South league championship in Phillips’ first year as coach. There were plenty of tears after the game.
“It was hard in the locker room,” Phillips said. “It’s a good thing that the girls were sad. It means they care. I couldn’t be more thankful. Having a new coach can be hard and they bought in… it’s just sad that it’s over. It was a great first year and I’m excited for the future.”
Minuteman (22-0) will play either No. 2 Hopedale or No. 18 Prospect Hill Academy Charter School in the Round of 8.
