Sunday, February 13, 2000
Mason loves winning girls team
BY KEVIN ALDRIDGE
The Cincinnati Enquirer
MASON — March Madness may be weeks away, but “Masonmania” is already in full swing in the home of the nation's second-ranked girls basketball team.
“Not too many years ago, people didn't even know they even existed,” said Bill Lied-
hegner, 79, member of a senior citizen-dominated pep club that turns out in green-and-white force every game. “Nobody talked about them, nobody cared and there was zero publicity. ... But nothing gets people to come out like wins.”
Not so many years ago, Mason's girls basketball team drew little attention outside of family and friends. But this unbeaten team begins tourna ment play Thursday and arefavored to reach the state finals for the third time in four years — and to bring home Mason's first state championship in any sport.
The Lady Comets draw as many as 3,200 a game, more than most boys teams in the Tristate.
“I think it's amazing how the focus of the entire town has turned towards the girls basket ball team,” said Mason Vice Mayor James Fox, one of many local politicians who comes out to support the team. “When you consider that they haven't lost a league game in almost a decade, I don't think you can point to any success story that beats that.”
Now, many downtown businesses have Lady Comets banners in their windows, and there are green waves of T-shirts supporting them. “Of course I'm prejudiced, but I think they'll make it back up to Columbus this year,” said Fred Stemmler, 70. “It would be awesome if they won it this time. This town would celebrate like it was Christmas.”
The fan buzz is a carryover from last season when the team was runner-up for the state championship title. “Losing last year the way we did just put more fire in us,” said junior forward Michelle Munoz. “We all want to win it this year. Not just for ourselves, but for the school and the community because they deserve it, too.”
From City Hall to the Big Top restaurant on Reading Road, stories of the Lady Comets' regular season heroics abound. There's the way the team in December overcame a scoreless first quarter and 15-point deficit to beat host Beavercreek, and how the Comets coasted at home last month against Anderson, leading 50-0 after three quarters.
The Lady Comets' success over the past five seasons has brought with it an increase in attendance each year, according to school officials. The Mason High School gymnasium, which seats 3,200 spectators, is filledto near capacity for almost every home game. And when the Lady Comets hit the road, they often bring just as many, if not more, fans than the home team.
“If you would have told me a few years ago we would have that many people in attendance at a girls game, I wouldn't have believed it,” said Mason City Schools Superintendent Kevin Bright.
While the spotlight is mainly on the Lady Comets, both the girls and the players on the winning Mason boys team say there's no rivalry.
“A lot of people like to blow that up but we try to play it down,” said senior guard Beth Jones.
Recreation officials say participation among girls in youth basketball is rapidly growing, in large part because of the Lady Comets.
“It's great to see little girls and boys from other schools come to the games and look up to us as role models,” said Miss Jones.
Mr. Stemmler said, “There is a big loyalty between the girls team and this town. They've managed to bring everybody in town together even if it's only for a few hours, a couple nights a week.”
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