After falling to Winneconne on a last second shot, Waupaca boys’ basketball coach Ron Weber wanted to see how his team would respond the next time on the court
The Comets came up short against Little Chute by dropping a 38-35 Eastern Valley Conference game to the Mustangs Feb. 6, but Weber said he saw something that’s been missing from his team.
“We played them toe-to-toe, we really did,” he said. “We showed a toughness tonight that we have not seen out of this club all year. It was just wonderful to see because I think it can really do things for us down the stretch. We add a few more made shots to that toughness and this would probably be a different story.”
The Comets also fell to Winneconne 62-60 Feb. 3 after taking a 15-point lead into the fourth quarter.
Little Chute 38, Waupaca 35
A 12-5 advantage in the second quarter helped the Mustangs take an 18-11 halftime lead.
The Comets used a 12-0 run in the third quarter to take a 27-25 lead. The run included a pair of three-pointers from Turner Kelly.
Little Chute’s Parker Wyngaard hit a three of his own at the end of the third quarter to give the Mustangs the lead for good at 30-27, but the Comets had their chances at the end.
The Mustangs never led by more than three points in the fourth quarter. Waupaca’s Brando Vasquez hit a basket with 16.7 seconds to go that cut the lead to 36-35. Wyngaard picked up a foul on the play, but Vasquez was unable to hit the free throw to complete the three-point play.
Parker Gloudemans hit a pair of free throws for Little Chute to push the lead back to three points and Max Hansen’s three-point attempt at the buzzer was off the mark.
Vasquez led the Comets with 14 points, while Jake Ewald added seven. Gloudemans led the Mustangs with 11.
“I thought it was a good performance,” Weber said. “Unfortunately, what a great chance to have two wins under our belt and we didn’t get either.”
Winneconne 62, Waupaca 60
Jack Gereau’s basket with 1.8 seconds remaining gave Winneconne the come-from-behind win.
The Comets led 20-13 after one quarter, 38-23 at halftime and 50-35 after three quarters, but couldn’t hold the lead.
Vasquez led all scorers with 21 points, but was the only Comet to finish in double figures. Tanor Ecklund led Winneconne with 16 points, while Andrew Zolp scored all 15 of his points in the second half.
The Comets will host Clintonville at 7:15 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 12.
“If I’m not seeing my teams improve, I feel miserable,” Weber said. “There was a stretch and I just did not see the steps that players should be taking. The last two games, I’ve seen it and it puts a whole different light on this team and I think we can do some things down the stretch.”