Traverse City Record-Eagle

Sports

Related Photos

  • Leland's Tantzi Snyder (14) drives to the basket between Northport's Morgan Collins (22) and Chelsie Wack (23) in the third quarter of Monday's district title game. Jan-Michael Stump/Record-Eagle

    CSSFAA.jpg
March 6, 2012

Leland downs Northport for district title

Snyder leads Comets to 55-23 victory

BY DENNIS CHASE dchase@record-eagle.com

TRAVERSE CITY — Tantzi Snyder was ready to play Monday.

Snyder scored 23 points as Leland beat Northport 55-23 to win a delayed Class D district basketball title at Traverse City Central.

The final was originally scheduled for Friday in Northport, moved to Saturday because bad weather Wednesday set the district back a day, then moved again to Monday following the weekend snowstorm. It was the only girls game played in the state Monday.

Leland wasted little time in bouncing the Wildcats out of the tournament, scoring the game's first 13 points — 10 by Snyder.

"I was kind of ready to get it going, get it done," Snyder said.

Leland, 11-11, will have little time to rest. The Comets face Manistee Catholic tonight in a regional game at Traverse City West.

Comets coach Megan Munoz said she's not worried about the quick turnaround.

"Not with these kids," she said. "It seems like the bigger the challenge, the more they bring it."

Down 17-4 early in the second quarter, Northport, behind Nina Muller, cut the deficit to six, 20-14. But Leland scored the last 12 points of the quarter to reassert control.

It was the Comets first district title since the fall of 2005 when Alisha Glass was a senior.

"It's always been tough getting past (Lake Leelanau) St. Mary's," Snyder said. "Once we did that we knew we could definitely win it."

Snyder, averaging about 10 points a game, had 14 in the first half.

"She had a great game," Munoz said. "She's been coming on strong."

Snyder blew out her ACL on the first day of practice last year and missed the entire season.

Liz McKee added 10 points for the Comets, who arrived at Central early Monday for a light practice.

Muller finished with 15 points for Northport.

Leland split with Manistee Catholic during the season, winning 36-29 and losing 50-38.

"I expect it to be a really close game," Munoz said. "They're (Sabers) really fast and athletic. They press and if we can handle their press we'll be in it."

Text Only