ALBANY — The No. 4-ranked Albany-Monticello girls basketball team flaunted its talent with an 86-28 running clock victory over Cambria-Friesland on Monday, Jan. 29. 

The Comets built up a 10-point lead six minutes into the game, which ballooned to 20 points four minutes later and 30 points with four minutes left in the first half. Headed into the locker room, Albany-Monticello led 48-9. With 12 minutes left in the game, the Comets’ advantage reached 50 points. The clock ran for the last nine minutes of the contest, where Albany-Monticello’s lead climbed to its highest at 58 points.

Despite the skewed score, the Comets began in a 3-point deficit with a bucket from the Hilltoppers’ Ashley Ramirez. 

Rachel Wildt, who plays a majority of her minutes on JV but got the start on Senior Night, responded with her own 3-pointer.

“It was a great feeling,” Wildt said of knocking down her team’s opening shot.  “I like playing with this team. Even though I’m a JV player, my heart said thanks for letting me be here. I’ve done this for the last four years, and I was so glad to be a part of this.”

The Comets (18-2, 5-1 Six Rivers East) and Hilltoppers (3-14, 1-9 Trailways West) exchanged buckets before Dalana Trumpy’s basket gave Albany-Monticello an 8-7 lead — one that the team didn’t relinquish. In fact, the points sparked a 37-0 run.

On the ensuing possession Cambria-Friesland was unable to get the ball across halfcourt in ten seconds, turning the ball over to Albany-Monticello. Alana Durtschi took advantage, draining her first of six 3-pointers. The Comets forced another turnover before halfcourt, resulting in two more points for Durtschi. Trumpy took yet another Hilltopper turnover back for another bucket.

“When we bring that high energy, it really helps us. Our defense turns into offense, and I think that’s a big part of what happened tonight,” Durtschi said. “We were able to create that energy and feed off of it.”

Cambria-Friesland got the ball over halfcourt for the first time in four possessions, but it still ended in a turnover, as Molly Olson grabbed a loose ball and handed it to Durtschi, who passed up court to Abby Hollis for a layup and 17-7 lead. The play forced a Hilltopper timeout.

Out of the pause, Durtschi sunk another 3-pointer. After another Cambria-Friesland turnover, Durtschi made another basket beyond the arc. Although the Hilltoppers called their second timeout — just a minute after their first — Durtschi wasn’t iced. She hit her fourth 3-pointer of the half for a 26-7 Comet advantage.

“I started off pretty hot, but that’s a lot of credit to my teammates,” Durtschi said. “They were hitting those gaps and making the extra pass to get me those great, wide-open looks. That definitely helped.”

As the half wore on, more AM players got involved in the offense. Hollis’s 3-pointer gave the Comets a 22-point lead. Myah Johnson and Anna Ellinger scored in the post, Avary Briggs reached the free-throw line, and Olson capped the half with a bucket for a 48-9 lead.

Outside of the first four minutes, the Hilltoppers scored just two first-half points on a pair of free throws from Ava Gove.

In the second half, Albany-Monticello’s lead reached 40 points two minutes in on a bucket by Durtschi, assisted by Hollis.

With a seemingly insurmountable lead, Albany-Monticello head coach Derik Doescher subbed in his bench at regular intervals. Kierra Cleasby completed a 3-point play at the free-throw line, giving the Comets a 70-20 lead. Karlee Wilkins powered through contact for two points, and Cleasby ended the game with a pair of free throws.

Four players finished in double figures, led by Alana Durtschi with 20 points. She was 6-for-8 beyond the arc with nine assists. In total, the Comets had 26 assists.

“We know that if we give a pass to a teammate, they are going to give one back to us,” Durtschi said. “That unselfishness is what really makes us dangerous.”

Trumpy finished with 15 points and a team-high seven rebounds. Hollis chipped in 13 points, with nine coming from beyond the arc. Johnson was the final player in double figures with 10 points and six rebounds. Six other Comets scored, including Ellinger and Briggs with eight points each.

Since the team’s back-to-back losses to ranked teams to begin the new year, Albany-Monticello has won its last six contests in convincing fashion. Its closest game was a 49-28 victory over Barneveld on Jan. 20. With just four regular-season matchups left on the calendar, the Comets are finding their groove and are eyeing deep post-season run.

“We are pretty excited but anxious at the same time,” Wildt said. “As seniors, it is the time to break it down and get to where we want to go — where we ended last year. It would be great to get back there.”