FALLSBURG – The James I. O’Neill Raiders visited Fallsburg on Monday night for a division matchup against the Comets. A 3-point Fallsburg lead at the half turned into an 8-point Raiders lead after the third quarter and ultimately a victory for the visiting squad.

“We had them, but we stopped going to the basket,” Comets Coach Lionel White said.

The contest was a game of runs, where one team pulled away but the other would return with a scoring run of their own.

Fallsburg started the game outscoring their opponents 11-5 in the first quarter, with game-high scorer Eugene Johnson netting eight of his 20 points in the first frame, and the Comets ended on a 6-0 run.

In the second quarter, Fallsburg continued their run early on, outscoring O’Neill 5-2 in the opening minutes of the second quarter to take a 16-7 lead. However, after a timeout by the Raiders, they responded with a 9-0 run to tie the game at 16, and just like that, Fallsburg’s lead was gone.

The two teams exchanged buckets for the remainder of the quarter, but neither team was able to garner more than a three-point lead as the Comets took a 27-24 advantage into the break.

O’Neill came out swinging in the third quarter, making the adjustments they needed to implement a big run and turn the tide, scoring 18 unanswered points before Fallsburg was able to rattle in a shot. The Comets scored seven straight to end the quarter, but trailed 42-34 entering the 4th.

In the final frame, Fallsburg was able to score 19, their highest quarter of the game, but were unable to get timely stops and O’Neill scored 25 to extend their lead and take home the win.

Eugene Johnson led all scorers with 20 points, and was complimented by Isaiah Young’s 15. The Comets were 14 of 26 from the free throw line.

O’Neill had four double digit scorers in the win and converted six of their 13 free throws.

“They’re a good fundamental team,” White said of the Raiders. “But at the end of the day, we have to finish.”

The Comets’ record is 6-8 and they still have five games remaining to decide their sectional fate.