Catonsville fell behind early and they didn't pull away until midway through the fourth quarter, but in the end, the host Comets (4-0) stayed unbeaten with a 63-45 victory over Mount de Sales (5-3) in girls basketball action.
Catonsville standout junior forward Jasmine Dickey turned around the game whenever the Sailors gained some momentum and finished with a game-high 28 points.
"I have LeBron," said Catonsville coach Mike Mohler, referring to Cleveland Cavaliers star LeBron James. "If we need a bucket, 'Jas, go get us a bucket,' if we need a rebound, 'Jas go get us a rebound' and fortunately she is able to do that. She is the difference-maker in the game."
Dickey scored five seconds after the opening tip, but the Sailors responded with six straight points and a 6-2 lead after baskets by Lizzy Gower (4 points), Madison Burris (10 points) and Abby Kuhn (6 points).
Kuhn's basket, off of Burris' feed, prompted a time out from Mohler and the Comets came bakc with a 14-2 run to end the quarter with a 16-8 lead.
Dickey had 10 points in the quarter and Jen Gast (6 points) added a pair of baskets after offensive rebounds and Jamelia Barrett turned a steal into a layup for the other two points in the quarter.
"We started out real slow and it was kind of like back and forth with everybody trying to pick it up a little bit," Dickey said. ""When we do need a bucket, we got a bucket."
Both teams traded multiple turnovers ,so neither offense got in rhythm, but Catonsville's Amber Lally (6 points) gave the Comets a lift with a pair of steals and four points off the bench in the first half.
"Amber gets it," Mohler said "She's very fundamental. She understands what we are trying to do offensively and defensively and she gives you a solid effort."
Barrett scored five of her seven points and had some key offensive rebounds in the second quarter, but the Sailors stayed within striking distance, 31-20 at halftime, because of four points from Allie Berlin (team-high 15 points, 5 assists) in the quarter.
With 6-foot-1 Sailor junior Sydney Skalstad out of the lineup, the Comets had an overwhelming rebounding margin, but that didn't always translate to points.
"That's the biggest thing we've got to focus on is finishing at the rim. If we fight for the rebound, we've got to be strong enough to put it back up," Dickey said.
That was never more evident than at the start of the fourth quarter when the Comets had six offensive rebounds and putbacks in the first 30 seconds and only came away with one point on a free throw by Stacia Daniels (9 points) with 7:38 remaining in the game that gave the Comets a 43-34 advantage.
Daniels added a layup and free throw to bump the lead to 46-34 with 6:34 left, but Berlin rallied the Sailors with a conventional three-point play and layup with 6:00 left to cut the deficit to seven, 46-39.
That's when Dickey took over again, scoring six straight points to push the lead to 52-39 with 4:31 left and the Sailors never got any closer.
"As far as the final score, it was an 8-10 point game the whole game," Mount de Sales coach Trish Armstrong said. "I told the kids, you can't look at that final. In the last two minutes they had a few buckets."
The Comets size, that included 6-foot-2 Gast, 6-2 Daniels, 5-10 Dickey and 5-9 Charity Chambers (6 points), took its toll on the Sailors.
"I truly think our frontcourt got tired at the end," Armstrong said.
"Mount de Sales is a tough team and they scrap and hustle," Mohler said.
They normally get more perimeter scoring from Burris and Bridget Williams, but the Comets held the sharpshooters to just one late three-pointer by Burris.
"We said in the locker room, don't leave these kids, don't go to help," Mohler said. "I said no. 3 [Burris], when she crosses half court she's in range, so you've got to play her from there on in."
Next up for the Comets is Seton Keough in the Catonsville Cup on Thursday at 5:15 p.m. at Mount St. Joseph.
"I'm very excited and I can't wait to play and I think we are going to put on a show," Dickey said.
Catonsville (3-0) is seeking its fourth straight win against Mount de Sales (5-2, 3-1)