Comets advance to substate semis with 71-33 first-round win over Mustangs
By John Burbridge
sports@charlescitypress.com
CHARLES CITY — You didn’t have to seize any classified material to know how Independence was going to try to handle Charles City’s superior size and athleticism during Monday’s Class 3A-Substate 4 quarterfinal.
The Mustangs were likely going to roll out variations of a 2-3 or 2-1-2 defensive zone and hope the Comets — after not playing for 10 days — would be as cold as February from the outside.
Mission not quite accomplished.
Yeah, the favored Comets were a little off from the outside as they didn’t hit their first 3-point field goal until late in the second quarter.
But Charles City attacked Independence’s zone with excellent ball movement and ample floor spacing, getting the ball to their above-the-rim scorers near the basket, crashing the offensive boards for second- and third-chance shots, and answering the Mustangs’ zone with long-limbed man-to-man defense and relentless pressure to force turnovers and transition opportunities.
The result was Charles City running the Mustangs out of Comet Gym as well as the postseason with a running clock employed early in the fourth quarter to expedite a 71-33 first-round victory.
Junior Kam Mestas led all scorers with 23 points — 15 of which he scored in the first half while helping the Comets take a 38-16 intermission lead.
Junior Keenan Wiley also had a productive first half for the Comets, scoring 12 of his 14 points.
Comet senior Brennan Schmidt hit that elusive trey late in the first half, then scored 9 more points in a span of less than a minute late in the third quarter that broke the Mustangs for good.
After hitting a pair of 3-pointers on consecutive possessions, Schmidt released on a long defensive rebound from Chase Low, who dished it upcourt to Schmidt, who finished at the rim while drawing a foul from Mustang junior Tanner Michael.
The completed three-point play gave the Comets a 55-23 lead going into the fourth quarter.
The Mustangs came to Comet Gym with an 8-13 overall record, but seven of their losses were by two possessions or less, including a 70-65 road loss to No. 4-ranked Marion, who is the top seed in the Substate 4 bracket.
Determined not to let the Mustangs hang around longer than they should, the Comets jumped out to a 10-0 lead less than four minutes into the game.
Independence managed to draw within 3 (19-16) early in the second quarter, but then the Comets held the Mustangs scoreless for the rest of the half and then outscored them 23-9 in the third quarter, leaving them in the dust two turns ahead of the homestretch.
Michael had 11 points including a pair of 3-pointers for Independence.
Next up for the Comets (16-5) is the substate semifinals on Thursday where they will host Mount Vernon (15-7), which advanced with a one-sided win of its own while eliminating Crestwood in a 63-32 final.
Marion (17-5) and Decorah (14-7) advanced to the semifinal on their side of the bracket.
Boys Basketball
Class 3A-Substate 4
Quarterfinal
CHARLES CITY 71, INDEPENDENCE 33
Scoring By Quarters
INDEPENDENCE 10 6 9 10 — 33
CHARLES CITY 16 22 23 16 — 71
Individual Scoring
INDEPENDENCE — Jake Beatty 2, Aidan Bernard 4, Josh Beatty 7, Tanner Michael 11, Wyatt Kresser 2, Garrett Donley 3, Kyle Williams 4.
CHARLES CITY — Jack Hanson 5, Brennan Schmidt 12, Keenan Wiley 14, Chase Low 8, Kam Mestas 23, Joel Villagomez 2, Jeb Wandro 2, Drew Martin 5.
RECORDS — Charles City 16-5, Independence 8-14
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