Fatima began to pull away in the second and after a 32-18 lead by intermission, expanded that in the third by 12 to set up a 67-40 win.

“Dixon gets the basketball out about as fast as anyone that we have seen, so we were really concerned with slowing down their scoring in transition,” said Coach Ryan Robertson.

“We wanted to take good shots because bad shots seem to lead to run-outs. Lee Verslues got us going early and had a really nice game. I thought Jacob Vanderfeltz was super active on the glass and played very well on the defensive end of the floor.

The guys moved the ball really well tonight and attacked the zone .”

The Comets hit four treys on the night and covered 45.9% of their shots from two-point range, and went 7-10 from the stripe.

Fatima took advantage of 26 turnovers, scoring 26 points, while winning the rebounding battle 37-27.

Brett Werner led the offense with 21 points, hitting one trey and converting 4-5 from the FT line, as Verslues put in 17, including a pair of three-pointers, and Nate Brandt posted 15 points. Also scoring were Lehmen (6), Leo Peters (4), and Jacob Vanderfeltz and Masan Stuecken (2 each). On the dish, Verslues and Brandt each had four assists, and Vanderfeltz and Lehmen each added two.

On the glass, Lehmen’s seven rebounds led the way, with six by Brandt, five by Vanderfeltz and Verslues, and three each by Werner and Nate Lehmen.

“We have a nice break with some days off before returning to the court Jan. 3 against one of the best teams in Class 3,” said Robertson of Blair Oaks.

In the JV game, Fatima won 59-28 after taking a 23-16 lead into halftime.

“Dixon is quick and athletic, and I thought our kids played well,” said Coach Jeff Adamson. “You don’t have to create tempo when you play teams like that.

They can score a bunch in a short amount of time, no lead is safe. I thought the guys did a good job of staying within themselves.”

Leo Peters led with 14 points as Johnathan Dickneite added 11, and Jack Robertson put in nine.