The West Liberty High School Boys basketball team headed into the winter break having lost their last five games after falling to Cascade Tuesday night, Dec. 22, 50-26.
The Comets end the 2020 portion of their season 1-5 overall with their lone victory coming over Columbus Junction to open the season.
The Comets took the trip north to play a Cascade team that was also struggling, dropping their last five in a row to fall to 2-5 on the season headed into Tuesday nights matchup to send off 2020.
The host Cougars jumped ahead early in the first quarter, holding the Comets to just two points, leading 11-2. The Comets weren’t going down without a fight, as they outscored the Cougars 14-7 in the second period to head into the locker room trailing by just two , 18-16.
Cascade came out of the halftime break faster than a speeding bullet and put up 22 on the Comets before closing out the game 50-26 victors, nearly doubling West Liberty's offensive effort.
Statistics for West Liberty were not available. Cascade had just one player in double figures as Eli Green, a senior, hit 13 points while also pulling down eight rebounds.
The Cougars hit seven of 19 three pointers in the game.
The Comets will usher in the new year with matchups at Louisa-Muscatine on Monday, Jan. 4, beginning at 6 p.m., before hosting West Branch on Jan. 5 beginning at 5:15 p.m. and Iowa City Regina on Friday, Jan. 8, beginning at 5:15 p.m. with JV play. Home games can be viewed on the school district YouTube channel.
West Liberty, which claimed just two wins last year in 22 outings, is struggling to find their groove for coach James Laughlin, who has an overall career record of 132-253.