Comets’ late bid falls short in 59-43 loss to GW | Prep Sports | yourgv … – YourGV.com

DANVILLE For everything that went right for the Halifax County High School boys basketball team in the first quarter of Monday night's Piedmont District game against arch-rival GW, it all went wrong in the fourth quarter.

The Comets faltered down the stretch against GW's pressure defense and fast-paced transition game and fell to the Eagles 59-43, giving GW a sweep of the two regular-season meetings between the two teams.

James Smith Jr. led the Comets in scoring with 18 points. Zion Bailey and Tysean Dunkley chipped in seven points each, with Bailey scoring all of his points in the first half.

"I thought the effort was there," noted Comets Head Coach Sterling Williams.

"We just didn't execute down the stretch."

Monday night's loss by the Comets tightens the battle between the Comets and Patrick Henry-Roanoke for the second seed for next week's 5A North Region Conference 16 Tournament. The Comets now need to win Tuesday night's game against Tunstall High School in Dry Fork and Thursday night's game against Martinsville High School at Halifax County Middle School to still have a shot at earning the second seed.

The Comets were within five points of GW at halftime, but failed to score on their first five possessions of the second half, and fell behind by 11 points. Halifax County High School rallied to outscore GW 14-4 over the last 5:10 of the third quarter to get to within two points at 37-35 to start the fourth quarter, only to lose ground in the final period as GW scored on its first two possessions of the fourth quarter to get some breathing room.

The Comets had opportunities to score some key points at the charity stripe in the second half but were unable to convert, going 7-17 in the second half while making only four of 10 attempts in the fourth quarter.

GW hit 10 of 12 free throws in the second half, including a 6-8 effort in the fourth quarter, as they pulled away in the closing minutes.

Ultimately, GW's pressure defense and fast-paced transition-oriented offense took its toll on the Comets.

"That's a typical GW game for you," explained Williams.

"They want you to play fast. They want you to take those quick shots because that's what they do. They want you playing at their pace."

The Comets led virtually the entire first quarter, their biggest lead coming at 11-5 when Bailey was fouled while making a layup and completed a three-point play with 4:58 left in the period. Then they went dry.

Halifax County High School scored only once more over the last four minutes of the quarter, that coming on a 3-point shot by Smith as the buzzer sounded to end the quarter to give the Comets a slim 14-13 edge.

"Even in the first quarter, our shot selection wasn't the best," Williams said.

"That took us out of our rhythm. Yeah, the shots were open, but they were off one pass or two passes, and that's not the way we play offense."

GW scored the first six points of the second quarter to take a 19-14 lead, only to see the Comets' Tyliek Powell complete a three-point play to bring the Comets back to within two points at 19-17.

The Eagles boosted their lead back to six points, but the Comets got a basket from Bailey on a running layup, and Ford Morrison hit two free throws to bring the Comets back to within two points again at 23-21 with 3:03 left in the first half.

Halifax County High School did not score again the rest of the half, and fortunately for the Comets, the Eagles managed to scratch up only three more points to take a 26-21 lead at halftime.

The Comets struggled at the outset of the second half, failing to score on their first five possessions. GW took advantage, getting a 3-point shot from Caymen Wilson and four points from Patrick Robinson to take a 33-21 lead with 5:54 left in the third quarter.

Just as quickly as the Comets appeared to be out of the game, they got back in it.

A free throw from Dunkley and three straight baskets from Smith produced seven unanswered points, allowing the Comets to pull to within five points at 33-28 with 2:47 left in the third quarter.

GW's Cam Lewis broke the Comets' run with a pair of free throws, but the Comets produced a 7-2 run over the last 2:16 of the quarter, with the last basket in the run, a 3-point shot by Smith at the buzzer, bringing the Comets to within two points at 37-35.

The Comets missed their first two shots of the fourth quarter, and GW's Amardius Jones and Robinson connected to give GW a 41-35 edge. From there, GW gradually pulled away, advancing to a 10-point lead on a basket from Lewis with 2:21 left in the game.

With Halifax County High School struggling at the charity stripe and missing several shots deep in the paint over the last two and a half minutes, GW extended its lead to finish the game with a 16-point margin.

"We will learn from this," Williams pointed out.

"We play Tunstall High School tomorrow and Martinsville High School on Thursday. We still have some time to get some things together before the playoff run."

Robinson led GW in scoring with 16 points. Lewis followed with 14 points and Jones chipped in 13 points, 11 of which came in the fourth quarter.