Earlier this season, the Waupaca Comet girls’ basketball team went toe-to-toe with Appleton Xavier, but came up four points short.
The Comets had another shot at the Hawks Thursday, Jan. 27, but came up on the short end of a 48-33 score.
The loss snapped Waupaca’s three-game winning streak that included a 51-34 nonconference win Tuesday, Jan. 25, at Stevens Point.
Xavier 48, Waupaca 33
The Hawks had as many offensive rebounds – 21 – as the Comets had overall, with Lauren DeShaney doing most of the damage.
The senior led all scorers with 16 points, with most of her points coming on her rebound after a missed Xavier shot.
“They got second and third chances,” coach Brandon Temperly said. “To be honest, I don’t remember one or maybe two offensive rebounds that we got. They outhustled us all night and that was the difference in the game. We match up with this team very well. They just played a little harder than us tonight.
“We allowed (DeShaney) to push us underneath the basket much too often,” he said. “Her strength got to us tonight. She pushed us into positions where we couldn’t get the ball and they went after it a little harder than us.”
The Hawks led 8-6 after one quarter, 18-14 at halftime and 30-24 after three quarters.
Kristen Fuss opened the fourth quarter with a basket for the Comets that cut the lead to four points, but Waupaca never got any closer, as the Hawks eventually built a 16-point lead late in the game.
“We made a couple little runs to get it to four, then they’d make a big play,” Temperly said. “They made big plays when they needed to. That just took the wind out of our sails.”
Fuss led Waupaca with 12 points.
Waupaca 51, SPASH 34
Waupaca outscored the Panthers in each of the first three quarters behind a game-high 18 points from Fuss and 10 from Alta Littrel.
The Comets led 16-6 after one quarter, 30-14 at halftime and 39-22 after three quarters before both teams scored 12 points in the final period.
The Comets played at Fox Valley Lutheran Tuesday, Feb. 1, and will host Wittenberg-Birnamwood at 7:15 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 8.