The West Liberty High School girls' basketball team captured victory in their final regular season game, defending home floor on Senior night, before moving on to Regional play and capturing a victory over Northeast to advance to the Regional Semi-final.
The week started with a visit from Wilton. The conference foes had already matched up once earlier in the season with the Comets emerging victorious in a hard fought contest and looked to replicate that outcome in the second meeting on West Liberty’s Senior Night.
The two high-powered offenses traded blows in the opening period, with the Beavers taking a nine-point advantage after the opening frame, 20-11. The Comet offense wouldn’t be restrained for long as they came charging back in the second quarter, putting up 20 to Wilton’s 12 and headed into the locker room trailing by only one, 32-31.
The Comet defense found its stride in the third quarter. Coming out of the break, they held Kelsey Drake and the Beavers to just four points to take a 49-36 lead. The Comets managed to hold off the Beavers comeback as they outscored the Comets 17-7 in the fourth quarter, the Comets capturing victory, 56-53.
In their final regular season game in their home gym, seniors Macy Daufeldt and Sailor Hall led the offensive charge for the Comets, Daufeldt hitting 25 on 11 of 26 field goals and a trio from the line while Hall put in 16, canning four of seven from the field and three of five from three-point range along with hitting five of her seven free throws. Junior Finley Hall followed with 10 points including a pair of three-pointers while Brooklyn Buysse added three and Pearson Hall scored two.
Drake, a senior, finished with 31 for the Beavers, hitting 12 of 18 field goals and four of her seven three point shots along with a trio of free throws to lead all scorers. Junior Charlotte Brown added 14 points and 12 rebounds for Wilton.
Daufeldt and sisters Finley and Sailor Hall each had six rebounds while Sailor also led the Comets in assists with five while also collecting seven steals.
On Saturday, the Comets of coach Matt Hoeppner hosted Northeast in their opening round of Regional tournament play, with a goal of making it to state after being ranked as the number seven team in Class 3A this week by the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union.
The two teams had already met once during the regular season with the Comets emerging victorious over the 7-14 Rebels.
The Comets jumped ahead early in their second matchup, outscoring the Rebels 17-9 in the opening quarter and then continuing to apply pressure in the second quarter, adding 13 more points and taking a 30-17 lead into the half.
The offensive assault continued for the Comets in the second half, as they added 13 more points in the third and 14 in the fourth to cruise to a 57-33 victory in their first-round matchup to up their season mark to 18-4.
Junior Finley Hall led Comet scoring with 17, hitting five of 15 from the field and a trio of three pointers while adding four of six free throws. Daufeldt followed closely with 15 including six of 16 shooting fom the floor while Sailor Hall also hit double figures with 14 on four of 10 shooting from the field and a pair of three pointers as well as hitting half of her eight free throws. Little sister Pearson Hall added six for the Comets. Sophie and Brooklyn Buysse added three and two respectively to round out the Comets total.
Daufelt collected 12 rebounds in the game along with seven steals while Finley Hall led the team in assists with three.
The Comets hosted unranked 13-9 Davenport Assumption Wednesday at 7 p.m. and if victorious in that matchup, advance to the Regional final for the third straight season and will play the winner of Mid-Prairie and West Burlington with a trip to the state tournament on the line. The game begins at 7 p.m., but the destination is undetermined as of press time.