The West Liberty girls’ basketball team welcomed in the new year with a 46-38 victory over Calamus-Wheatland to open the 2025 leg of the regular season before losing a chippy 66-58 matchup against Class 3A No. 15 Mid-Prairie to bring the Comets’ three game winning streak to an end.
On Thursday, the Comets hosted non-conference foe Calamus-Wheatland. The teams hit the ground running in the first quarter, showing no signs of a winter break hangover as the Warriors grabbed a 15-13 lead after the first.
The Comets, managing to slow the Calamus-Wheatland attack, claimed the lead ahead of the halftime break leading 23-21.
Extending their lead by one in the first half, the Comets looked to start the second half of the season on the right foot as they managed to pull away down the stretch in the fourth taking a 46-33 victory after a 16 point final quarter.
West Liberty looked to continue their winning streak heading into their matchup against Mid-Prairie the following night, as the Golden Hawks entered the contest unbeaten.
The Comets lead the contest going into the break 23-19 before the Golden Hawks rallied in the third quarter to tie it up.
The fourth quarter resulted in a back-and-forth affair where the two teams traded baskets. A turnover in the final 30 seconds looked to spell doom for the Comets as Mid-Prairie used their final timeout to draw up the game winner.
After getting a clear inbound, the Comets left no space for the Golden Hawk offense to establish themselves, draining the rest of the clock and forcing overtime.
West Liberty struggled in the overtime period, missing senior leader Pearson Hall, who fouled out earlier in the fourth quarter.
The Comets were unable to find the offense to match the Golden Hawks barrage in the extra period, ultimately falling 66-58
The Comets look ahead to Thursday where they will matchup against North Cedar and Tuesday (Jan. 14) returning to conference play against Durant.
Seconds away from pandemonium
Trailing by two points with seconds to play in the final quarter, the Comets worked the space getting the ball to open shooters looking for an opportunity to break through the unbeaten Golden Hawks Friday night on their home court.
Off a Seth Axsom drive and feed to Cameron Iske, the ball ultimately ended up in the hands of Cael Daufeldt who took his wide-open look for three.
The ball was in. And then it was out. It refused to pass through the netting as the Comets suffered heartbreak on this night.
The Comets, unable to shake the 11-game losing streak to the Golden Hawks dating back to February of 2016, trailed by one at the half.
21 points from both teams in the third quarter setup the memorable final quarter, as the Golden Hawks ultimately stole a 63-61 victory.
The day prior, the Comets hosted Calamus-Wheatland for non-conference play.
Grabbing a 14-10 lead after the first quarter, the Comets quickly extended their lead in the second taking a 29-19 lead into halftime.
The Warriors attempted to charge back into the contest in the second half, outscoring the Comets 13-10 in the third quarter before the Comet defense locked in and held their opponents to nine in the final quarter, taking a 50-41 victory.
In this game, senior Ryker Dengler set a school record with 10 steals. He had a double-double by leading all scorers with 15 points.
The Comets look ahead to Thursday where they will matchup against North Cedar and Tuesday (Jan. 14) returning to conference play against Durant.
