Comets win 12th straight, move up in AP Class 3A poll rankings

Press Staff Report

If you were wondering why the NBA started earlier this season, it was because they wanted to stretch the games out to where teams didn’t have to play as many back-to-backs.

Or for that matter, three games in four days.

The Charles City Comets boys basketball team recently played three in four and won all three of them.

With Monday night’s non-conference 66-50 win over Independence at Independence, the Comets have won 12 straight after their only loss in the season-opener against Dike-New Hartford.

Seniors Cade Hemesath and Noah Schlader both scored 21 points for Charles City. Hemesath did most of his damage closer to the basket, while Schlader attacked from beyond the arc while hitting six 3-point shots.

In Saturday’s win over Osage, Schlader hit five 3-point shots while scoring what was then a personal season-high of 19 points.

Mike Cranshaw and Jack Molstead both added 8 points while shooting collectively 10 of 10 from the free throw line.

Before the win over the Mustangs, the Comets had already garnered enough votes to move up a spot to No. 7 (Class 3A) in the Associated Press Iowa Boys Basketball Poll.

Charles City’s next game will be 12 p.m. Saturday at the U.S. Cellular Center in Cedar Rapids as part of the Wells Fargo Advisors Shootout. The Comets will play Mount Pleasant, which also has moved in the Class 3A poll to No. 2.