Top-ranked Go-Hawks defeat Comets, 72-56

By John Burbridge

sports@charlescitypress.com

CHARLES CITY — Playing host to the top-ranked team in the state for a battle of undefeated conference rivals brought a lot of people in from the cold to fill Charles City’s new competition gym on Tuesday night

But it was the Comets who came out of the locker room cold in the second half allowing Waverly-Shell Rock blow open what was a close game on way to winning 72-56.

For the Go-Hawks, who are the ranked atop the latest Class 3A Associated Press Iowa Boys Basketball Poll, it improved their record to 8-0 and 5-0 in the Northeast Iowa Conference.

For the Comets, who were ranked eighth in that same poll, it was their first loss of the season as they fell to 6-1 and 2-1.

Charles City managed to close an 8-point gap to 3 (36-33) at the end of the first half, but the Go-Hawks — who employed a particularly sticky form of man-to-man defense to reset the tone after intermission — went on to outscore the Comets 22-3 in the third quarter and never looked back.

Northern Iowa-bound Austin Phyfe scored a game-high 30 points to lead Waverly-Shell Rock. Jacob Bahe also attained double-figure scoring for the Go-Hawks with 12 points.

The Comets took a 6-4 lead midway through the first quarter when Mike Cranshaw assisted a layup by Cade Hemesath with a lob pass over W-SR’s defense. Cranshaw later hit a jumper to extend the lead to 10-7.

Braden Holmquist put the Go-Hawks up 12-10 with a 3-point shot late in the first quarter as Waverly-Shell Rock wouldn’t relinquish the lead for the rest of the game as Phyfe — who was held in check for the most part early on — began to get his left-handed post attack going.

After Jack Stewart’s 3-point shot put the Go-Hawks up 29-21, the Comets went on a 7-0 run consisting of a 3-point shot from Jack Molstead, a 10-foot jumper from Hemesath with Molstead assisting, and another 10-foot jumper from Mike Andrews with Noah Schlader assisting to pull within 1 (29-28).

Phyfe hit a jumper from right of the key to give the Go-Hawks some distance (36-30) before Hemesath drained a 3-pointer for the halftime score.

Molstead and Hemesath had 21 and 20 points, respectively, to lead the Comets.

* Thirty miles away, the Comets girls varsity basketball team took on Waverly-Shell Rock in their own NEIC matchup.

The hosting Go-Hawks jumped out to a 46-8 lead a the half on way to winning 71-22 and improving their record to 7-3 and 5-0.

Charles City fell to 0-8 and 0-5.

The Comets will host a varsity doubleheader on Thursday against Hampton-Dumont in the old Charles City gymnasium located in the high school. The girls game will start at 6:15 p.m.; the boys game will follow.

Charles City’s wrestling team will host a dual meet with conference rival Oelwein that same night in the new gymnasium.

WAVERLY-SHELL ROCK 72, CHARLES CITY 56

Scoring By Quarters

Waverly-Shell Rock 15 21 22 14 — 72

Charles City 11 22 3 20 — 56

WAVERLY-SHELL ROCK — Austin Phyfe 30, Jacob Bahe 12, Jack Steward 7, John Stensland 6, Braden Holmquist 4, Jackson Little 4, Joey McNally 4, Luke Velky 2, Mosai Newsom 2, Jordan Downing 1.

CHARLES CITY — Jack Molstead 21, Cade Hemesath 20, Mike Cranshaw 7, Hakeem Sharief 6, Michael Andrews 2.