Posted on

Go-Hawks stop Comets from clinching NEIC title, 62-57

Press photo by John Burbridge Charles City’s Mike Cranshaw, right, steals the ball from Waverly-Shell Rock’s Mosai Newsom during Tuesday’s Northeast Iowa Conference boys basketball game.
Press photo by John Burbridge
Charles City’s Mike Cranshaw, right, steals the ball from Waverly-Shell Rock’s Mosai Newsom during Tuesday’s Northeast Iowa Conference boys basketball game.
By John Burbridge sports@charlescitypress.com

CHARLES CITY — With the outright Northeast Iowa Conference boys basketball title on the line, Tuesday’s second season meeting between Charles City and visiting Waverly-Shell Rock drew a record crowd of 1,140 to Comet Gym.

The collective mass was already set at a raucous varsity volume while cheering and jeering the final moments of the junior varsity game, which the Comets won.

But with seven minutes remaining in regulation of the varsity game, things got real quiet — especially amid the Charles City section side of the gym.

While fighting for an offensive rebound, Charles City senior forward Cade Hemesath — who leads the team in that category — came down hard while being fouled and had to be helped off the floor and into the locker room.

Though Hemesath, who had to shake off a knee injury sustained during the football season early in the basketball season, eventually returned to the bench, he didn’t return to the game.

The Go-Hawks were up 45-43 at the time Hemesath went down, and eventually built an 8-point lead while milking time off the clock with their deliberate but drive-opportune four-corners offense. In the final seconds, the Comets nearly snuck back in the game when Jackson Molstead hit a 3-pointer to draw Charles City within 3 (60-57) with 5 seconds left.

Then after a must-foul on the ensuing Go-Hawk possession, two missed free throws gave the Comets the ball with 3.6 seconds left.

Having to travel the length of the court, Charles City managed to inbound the ball to Molstead, but he was fouled before he got a shot off. Molstead missed the front end of the double-bonus, then threw up a deliberate brick in hopes of it being tapped back beyond the arc for another 3-point attempt, but Go-Hawk 6-foot-6 junior Mosai Newsom secured the rebound and made the subsequent free throws after being fouled to seal the 62-57 final.

For the Comets, it was their third loss of the year (16-3) and first setback in the NEIC (10-1).

Waverly-Shell Rock (14-5) is also 10-1 in the conference as it lost to Charles City in overtime at home earlier this season.

Charles City can still clinch a share of the NEIC title with a win over visiting Decorah on Friday in the regular-season finale.

Molstead scored a game-high 21 points and dished out five assists.

Noah Schlader added 12 points and Mike Cranshaw, who also limped off the court shortly after Hemesath went down and didn’t return, added 11 points for Charles City.

The Go-Hawks, who can go with big, small and inbetween lineups, were led by Trey Angel and Luke Velky, who each scored 13; and Newsom and Jack Seward, who each scored 12.

WAVERLY-SHELL ROCK 62, CHARLES CITY 57

Scoring By Quarters

W-SR 17 12 17 16 — 62

CHARLES CITY 14 16 12 15 — 57

WAVERLY-SHELL ROCK (62)

Jack Seward 12, Braden Holmquist 6, Trey Angel 13, Jordan Downing 2, Luke Velky 13, Jacob Bahe 4, Mosai Newsom 12.

CHARLES CITY (57)

Jack Molstead 21, Mike Cranshaw 11, Bradley Andrews 9, Noah Schlader 12, Cade Hemesath 4.

Social Share

LATEST NEWS