The West Liberty girls’ basketball team grabbed a win this week in three attempts, beating West Branch on their home court Tuesday.
The Comets fell in their next two matchups, falling 51-44 to Wilton on the road and 46-30 to Midland in non-conference play.
Tuesday the Comets played host for their lone home game of the week. Having already played once in West Branch earlier this season, the Comets looked to make up for the loss earlier in the season.
The Comets got the revenge story off on the right foot in the opening quarter, outscoring the Bears 12-9 to take an early advantage. The Comets created much needed separation in the second quarter, outscoring their foes 7-2 and taking a 19-11 advantage into the locker room. The scoring onslaught did not slow for the Comets in the second half, putting another 13 on the board to their opponents’ four.
The only quarter the Comets were outscored was the fourth, but by then the writing was already on the wall as the comets grabbed a 43-29 victory.
Pearson Hall led the way with 13 points for the Comets while Sophie Buysse and Sully Hall added seven each. Mallory Wulf led the Comets on the glass, pulling in eight rebounds to lead the way.
Their next matchup came on the road against Wilton, for the first of two games against each other in a week’s time.
The Comets looked to have started right where they left off the night before, jumping ahead to a 14-3 lead after the first quarter. The Comets conceded some ground in the second quarter, being outscored 18-10 by their hosts but still lead the lead at the half 24-21.
The Beaver attack didn’t slow in the third quarter, as they mounded 16 points to the Comets seven to grab control of the contest.
A close fourth quarter saw the teams combine for 27 points, but it would be the Beavers who pulled off the comeback taking 51-44 victory.
Maelyn Wainwright leid the Comets in points and rebounds collect 13 and 12 respectively. Sully Hall joined her in double figures.
Saturday, the Comets took on non-conference foe Midland. The Eagles grabbed control of the contest in the first quarter taking a 12-6 lead after one and a 20-11 lead into the half.
The Comets were unable to slow down their hosts who soared to 17 points in the third quarter. A 13-point outing for the Comets in the final quarter cut the final score down to a 46-30 defeat.
The Comets will play at home Friday, Saturday, Monday and Tuesday to close out the rest of their regular season before heading into post season play.
They take on Durant on Friday, Tipton on Saturday, Benton on Monday and Regina on Tuesday, all of which are going to be home matchups.
Comets lose two despite big games from McHugh
The West Liberty boys suffered a pair of defeats this week, one coming against West Branch at home and the other against Wilton on the Road.
On Tuesday the Comets hosted West Branch. The Comets looked to be on the right foot to make up for the loss earlier in the season after the first quarter, taking a 10-6 lead after one.
The Bears fired back in the second quarter, outscoring the Comets 15-7 enroute to taking a four-point lead headed into the half.
Another high scoring quarter followed after the break as the teams combines for 28 points, with the Bears getting the better of the output with 15.
The pace slowed in the final quarter as the Comets were unable to cut into their deficit and fell at home 46-38. Jayce McHugh led the way for the Comets with 15 points and nine rebounds. He was joined in double figured by Ryker Dengler with 12 and Seth Axsom who tallied eight in the loss.
West Liberty ended its week on the road against Wilton in a makeup game cancelled due to snow.
The Beavers dominated the opening quarter, taking a 26-13 lead after one.The Comets managed to keep their hosts in reach, only falling behind another two points as they headed to the locker room trailing 43-28.
Coming out of the break, the Comets took their chance to light up the scoreboard, tallying 19 points to Wilton’s 11 to cut into the lead, trailing by seven headed into the final quarter.
A continued offensive effort for the Comets saw them cut the Wilton lead down by an additional two points, but the first quarter lead was too much for the Comets to overcome as they fell 66-61.
McHugh tied for a game-high 21 points with nine rebounds and five assists, three blocks and one steal. Seth Axsom scored 14 with five rebounds and four steals.
The Comets will play games Friday, Monday, Tuesday and Thursday to conclude their regular season before headed into post season play.