Girls
The West Liberty Girls basketball season came to an end Saturday following a regional final matchup against Benton Community.
The Comets fell 53 - 44 on the road to the Bobcats after beating Center Point-Urbana Wednesday 66 - 54. The Comets finished the season 17 - 7 overall with a 10 - 3 conference record, finishing second in the River Valley Conference South division.
The Comets started the week with a roadtrip Wednesday, Feb. 15, to Center Point-Urbana to play the Storming Pointers.
The matchup opened with a slow offensive start as the Comets escaped with a 9 - 8 advantage after the opening quarter. The offense found their footing in the second quarter, combining for a game high 37 points heading into the break as CPU securing a four point advantage.
Coming out of the locker room, the Comets were able to maintain their offensive momentum, scoring 20-points in the third and flipping the lead heading into the final quarter.
In the fourth quarter, the Storming Pointers fought valiantly to keep the contest close, but a late scoring streak combined with intentional fouling to save clock saw the Comets extend their lead in a contest much closer than the final score implies. The Comets loaded up the bus headed out of Center Point, 66-54 victors in their regional semi-final matchup
Kelsey Joens led the Comets with 28 points along with seven rebounds to lead the Comets.
Finley Hall added 14 more points for the Comets.
Monica Morales tallied a season high 13 points for the Comets, shooting 6 of 17 from the floor, creating much needed space for the Comets in the second half.
Sophie Buysse rounded out Comet scoring with 11 points
Saturday, Feb. 18, the Comets headed to Van Horne to play Benton Community in the Regional final. The winner of this contest would punch their ticket to the state tournament.
The teams traded blows in the opening quarter as the teams found themselves tied 7 - 7 after the opening two minutes of the contest. A shooting dry streak along with an offensive explosion from Benton's Jenna Twedt, who scored 33 in the contest, saw the Bobcats pull ahead after the first quarter.
The Bobcats continued to pounce on the offensive side of the floor, extending their lead to 15 heading into the half, as the Comets trailed 31-16. The Comets found an opportunity to close the gap in the third outscoring the Bobcats to close the gap to 10 heading into the final quarter.
The Comets fought valiantly in the final quarter, closing the Bobcat lead to seven, but they were unable to overcome their half time deficit as the Comets fell by a final score of 53 - 44.
Kelsey Joens scored 29 in her final appearance in a Comet uniform, adding nine rebounds and three steals to her tally.
Finley Hall and Sophie Buysse each scored five. Comet scoring was rounded out by Brooklyn Buysse with four and Pearson Hall who scored one.
The loss in the regional final saw the high school basketball careers of Kelsey Joens, Finley Hall, Brookyln Buysse, Monica Morales and McKenzie Akers come to an end.
Boys
The West Liberty boys basketball season came to an end Tuesday on the road in Wellman suffering a 75 - 67 loss to Mid-Prairie. The Comets ended their season 7-15 overall.
The Comets started their postseason play with a first round matchup against Mid-Prairie. The Golden Hawks bested the Comets in their two regular season matchups. The Comets looked to flip the script and continue their season.
The offenses were out in full force from the opening tip, as the Golden Hawks clung to a 22 - 21 advantage after the first quarter.
The teams slowed down in the second quarter, as the Comets were able to stay close with their hosts, heading into the locker room trailing 34 - 33.
Coming out of the break, the Comets were firing on all cylinders. Matching their first quarter total, tallying 21 points, the Comets were able to grab a three point advantage heading into the final quarter.
The Golden Hawks weren't going to go down without a fight. They quickly regained the lead from the Comets and were able to maintain their hold on it through the remainder of the final quarter. The Comets fell in their opening round matchup 75 - 67 following a 24 point final quarter from the hosts.
Ty Jones and Seth Axsom combined to score 17 points each for the Comets in the finale.
Jayce McHugh added 16 more and Caden Laughlin tallied nine.
Comet scoring was rounded out by Diego Hernandez with five and Ryan Noble with three.
The loss put a cap on the high school careers of Ty Jones and Diego Hernandez.