A pair of free throws off the hands of junior Calub Wulf with 12 seconds left helped West Liberty seal only their second victory of the season Friday night in a game against visiting neighbor Tipton.
The key shots broke a 48-all tie after Tipton had fought from a 10 point first quarter deficit, but never did take the lead.
The West Liberty High School boys Basketball team broke their 10-game losing streak in the grudge match, capturing the narrow 50-48 victory.
It was the first River Valley Conference win of the season for the Comets, despite a roster of just eight players and in the absence of head Coach James Laughlin.
The Comets established an early lead, outscoring the Tigers 15-5 in the opening period Friday at West Liberty and the lead would prove to be enough. The Tigers outscored the Comets in the second period 14-12 and the Comets took a 27-19 lead into the locker room.
Despite being outscored in the second half, the Comets never saw their lead waiver, scoring at key moments to stay ahead on the scoreboard.
Wulf led the Comets with 15 points, six rebounds, four assists and three steals. Chance Thrasher recorded a double-double for the Comets, with 14 points, 11 rebounds and an assist. Jahsiah Galvan added eight points, to go along with four steals and two assists. Hector Adames connected for seven for the Comets with three steals to his credit while Ty Jones rounded out the stat sheet for the Comets with six points and four assists.
The Comets improved to 2-10 overall on the season and play Iowa City Regina Friday, Wilton Tuesday, and Regina again on Thursday.