Coach James Laughlin’s West Liberty High School boys basketball team fell in all three of their contests this past week, dropping to 3-15 on the season including justone win in the River Valley Conference.
The team fell to Mid-Prairie, Tipton and Goose Lake.
The week started with a trip to Mid-Prairie. The top ranked Golden Hawks wasted no time jumping ahead and led 11-6 after to first period. The Comets were held to just three points in the second period, heading into the locker room trailing 23-9.
Mid-Prairie’s offense did not slow in the second half, scoring 19 in the third quarter and holding the Comets to just nine. With 17 more in the fourth, the Golden Hawks captured the easy 59-27 victory.
Caleb Wulf led Comet scoring with 15 and Jayce McHugh added 10. Seth Axsom rounded out the West Liberty scoring with two.
On Friday the Comets headed to Tipton to play the Tigers. The Comet offense took a while to head up, scoring just seven in the opening quarter before adding 14 in the second to trail by four heading to halftime, 25-21. Both offenses continued to put in a display after the halftime break, with the Comets inching closer with a 13-10 showing, pulling the margin to one heading into the final period.
The fourth quarter brought a back and fourth affair that saw the teams trading punches throughout the majority of the period, but it was the Tigers who were able to create late separation and capture a 55-45 victory.
McHugh and Wulf again led Comet scorers with 18 each. McHugh converted seven of 13 ffield goals and four of nine from the line while Wulf hit six of 13 and three of his five three-points as well as a trio from the line. Axsom scored five and Josh Perez-Echevarria rounded out West Liberty scoring with four.
On Saturday, the Comets traveled to a Goose Lake and the hosting Rebel offense gained control early, outscoring the Comets 16-4 in the opening period before adding 25 in the second period to trail 41-8 at the half. Tides stayed steady for the Rebels, holding the Comets to just five points defensively in the second half and riding the wave to a 62-14 victory.
The Comets play a couple of rivals in the next slate of games, heading to Iowa City Regina Friday for a 7:30 p.m. tipoff before hosting Wilton Tuesday to end the regular season, starting at 7:30 p.m.