After a week off, top-seeded Newman found itself leading ninth-seeded Stark County by just three points late in the third quarter of Tuesday’s Class 1A Galva Regional semifinal matchup.

Finally, the shots started falling.

The Comets nearly doubled their point total after that, finishing off a 49-35 win to advance to Friday’s regional final at 7 p.m. Newman (24-6) will face fourth-seeded Bureau Valley, which beat sixth-seeded Polo 67-48.

Newman led the Rebels (15-16) just 27-24 after a Hallie Newton 3-pointer with 3:20 left in the third quarter.

Gisselle Martin finished with a game-high 22 points, and Elaina Allen (eight steals) had nine in the second half to help the Comets take control.

“We came out a little slow, which we didn’t want,” Martin said. “We bounced back and we played together.”

Newman trailed 11-6 after the first quarter before Martin led a 17-4 swing in the second to take a 23-15 lead at halftime. Martin was 3 of 3 from deep and scored 12 points in the second quarter.

Coley Johnston led the Rebels with 13 points.

Allen said there were some nerves as the Comets opened the postseason in an unfamiliar gym.

“You’re going to have those nerves in games like this,” she said. “I think you just have to find that trust in your teammates out there and really come together, and that’s how you get the win.”

Veronica Haley had seven points, Paizlee Williams had five, Grace King (seven rebounds) scored four, and Lucy Oetting (nine rebounds) had two.

Newman outscored Stark County 14-8 in the fourth quarter. The Comets also took advantage of 21 turnovers, but had 17 of their own.

Coach Herb Martin said the team showed some rust after the time off.

“We finally get out here in a real game, and it took a while for us to kind of settle in and start running our stuff and executing plays,” he said. “Gisselle stepped up a little bit there. Elaina stepped up and knocked in a couple big shots that kind of gave us some room to breathe.

“From then on, our defense finally came together.”

Coach Martin credited the Rebels, which have a younger team much like his own. Newman has just one senior – Oetting – while Stark County has none.

“They’re well-coached. They execute their stuff,” he said. “If they stay together, they’re going to be a very good group and be a problem to reckon with down the road.”

Allen said communication will need to be there for her team to be at its best. The Comets also hope to iron out the slow starts.

“Just play how we know how to play,” she said. “Just playing as a team.”

“The most important thing is starting off strong,” Gisselle Martin said. “And taking good shots and believing in ourselves and having confidence.”