The West Liberty boys’ basketball team collected a trio of wins last week with one loss in their busy week of play. The victories came twice against Durant and one in dominant fashion over Columbus.
The week started Monday (Jan. 29) on the road against the winless Wildcats. West Liberty dictated the pace of play from the opening tip, securing early control of the contest and taking a 16-7 lead.
The relentless Comet onslaught tallied an additional 22 in the second quarter as they led 38-14 going into the break.
The Wildcats managed to bite into the Comets lead in the third quarter, closing it by three.
An additional one-point advantage in the final quarter shortened it still, but the result was never in question — the Comets did all but load the bus to secure the win in the first half.
Ryker Dengler and Jayce McHugh each tallied 18 points in the victory
On Tuesday (Jan. 30), the Comets played host to Wilton. The Beavers built a lead in the first quarter, outscoring the Comets 18-11 in the opener and extending that lead another two in the second to take a 27-18 lead into the half.
The Comets managed to keep pace with the Beavers offense, but were unable to get critical stops to cut into the lead as outscored the Comets by five over the final two quarters, suffering a loss on their home court 57-43.
McHugh tallied 21 as the lone player to hit double figures for the home side.
In Wednesday’s (Jan. 31) game, the third in as many days, tired legs never showed.
The Comets hosted Columbus in non-conference action, and the matchup was never in question. West Liberty led 46-8 at the break. eventually cruising to a 63-19 victory.
McHugh and Seth Axsom were the pair of Comets to hit double figured, scoring 17 and 10 respectively.
In the final game of the week, and the third home matchup, the Comets lined up against Durant for the second time in five days on Friday.
The Comets were able to squeeze a small lead over the visitors 11-10 before finding their footing in the second quarter. Outscoring the Wildcats 18-8 going into the break, the Comets sat comfortable on an 11-point lead.
The Wildcats scratched and clawed their way through the remainder of the contest, tallying 21 points in the second quarter to cut the Comets lead to four.
The visitors’ pursuit of their first win came up short as the Comets returned the favor in the closing quarter, tallying 21 of their own and collecting a 64-51 victory to close out the week.
McHugh tallied 33 points, accounting for more than half of the Comets total points, and Axsom contributed a further 10.
The Comets will match up against Anamosa in their final regular season matchup of the season before taking on Tipton the following Monday for the first leg of post season play.
West Liberty and Tipton split this season’s matchups, each taking a win on their opponents’ home hardwood.
Within Substate 5, District 10 is top-seeded Alburnett and No. 2 seed Iowa City Regina.
Wilton and Durant renew their rivalry in the bottom half of the bracket, with the winner facing the Regals.
The winner between the Comets and Tigers would play the Pirates.
Peeking over to the other Substate 5 bracket sees Pella Christian and Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont as the top two seeds.
Battling it out for a spot in the second round are Albia hosting Centerville and Mid-Prairie hosting Cardinal.