What a difference a month and a half can make.

Back on Dec. 15, Reed-Custer took a 34-point loss to Illinois Central Eight Conference leader Manteno to fall to 1-4 in conference play.

On Monday, the Comets (13-12, 6-6 ICE) went on the road and returned the favor with a stunning 45-42 upset of the first-place Panthers, handing Manteno (22-4, 10-1) its first conference loss of the season.

Alyssa Wollenzien scored the first nine points for Reed-Custer and finished with a game-high 25. She also had six rebounds and six steals.

“It feels really good, honestly, just showing how our effort from our practice really shows,” she said. “No team is unbeatable. Even if they’re the first seed and you’re last, you can still beat them.

“Just working hard and working together, you can get stuff done.”

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Girls Basketball: Manteno vs. Reed-Custer Reed-Custer's Alyssa Wollenzien goes for a layup against Manteno's Alyssa Singleton during Reed-Custer's 45-42 victory over Manteno on Monday, Feb. 2, 2026. (Tiffany Blanchette)

It took multiple players contributing in big spots for the Comets to come out on top in a game that featured 11 lead changes and eight ties.

Harlie Liebermann may have had just four points for the Comets, but two of them came on a floater with 50 seconds to go that gave Reed-Custer a 42-40 lead. It was the final lead change of the game.

Liebermann, who added five rebounds and pair of steals, said Monday’s win shows how far the team has come since its 64-30 loss to the Panthers in December.

“We’ve worked really hard for this in practice last week and over the weekend,” she said. “We’ve grown a lot as a team, and we don’t give up even when we think it’s hard.”

After Liebermann’s go-ahead shot and a key defensive stop on the other end, sophomore Kamryn Wilkey stepped to the free-throw line with 18.7 seconds to go and the Comets clinging to a two-point lead.

She knocked down both shots.

“I just try to follow my routine, slow it down and just think about how it’s only me up there at the free-throw line,” she said. “This feels really good, because it shows our effort on the court.

After Manteno’s Maddie Gesky cut it to 44-42 and Wollenzien went 1 of 2 from the line, Wilkey and Morgan Toler put pressure on Manteno’s Emily Horath in the final seconds to get a game-clinching stop.

Wilkey scored six of her 12 points in the fourth quarter, giving her the most fourth-quarter points of any player in the game. Toler added four points, six rebounds and two steals.

The Comets are now in a similar position as they were a season ago, when they were 13-15 in the regular season before winning their first regional title since 2006.

With the postseason looming again and the Comets winning five of their last six conference games and four of five overall, head coach Shelby Zwolinski said she is happy to see the team hitting its stride.

“I put on the board today that regional seedings come out this week, so let’s shake things up. ...” she said. “This is about what we looked like at the end of last season when we found a way to win a regional championship. We’ve found little things in practice that we’re working hard at, and we keep digging deep at the end of games.”

Of Manteno’s four losses this season, two have now come in the last five games. And in two of those three wins, the Panthers have scored just 33 and 39 points.

Gesky had 16 points, 11 rebounds and six blocks in the loss. Horath had nine points and 13 rebounds, eight of which were offensive boards, to go with five steals. Lila Prindeville also added nine points.

While the Panthers managed 15 offensive rebounds as a team, they simply left a few too many chances out on the floor with 22 turnovers. They also shot just 6 of 19 from the free-throw line.

Head coach Bethany Stritar said she wants to see the team push through the final four regular-season games with the knowledge that every opponent is going to be as hungry for a late-season win as Reed-Custer was.

“We haven’t been playing great the last few games,” she said. “We had too many turnovers again, and we’re not being mentally prepared for each game. It’s a long season, but that’s not an excuse. ...

“Everyone else is going to be giving us their best, and we have to embrace that. We’re not there yet, or at least we weren’t there tonight.”