ALBANY - Albany's boys basketball team has been one of the area's hottest in recent days - with dramatic wins at Black Hawk and Barneveld and at home against Argyle.
But that made the Comets a target on Monday. And Black Hawk's road Warriors got a taste of revenge with a 49-45 victory.
"This is a big step," Black Hawk head coach Jerry Mortimer said.
"Now we have Monticello on Thursday and they're the conference champs. I told the guys in the locker room that I believe that if we played to our potential we'd be right there, too. So this is a chance for us to prove that."
Payton Schleim came up with what Mortimer called "probably the biggest play of the game for us," a driving basket with a minute left that gave Black Hawk a 45-42 lead.
T.J. Adams hit four straight free throws down the stretch to seal the win.
"I thought our effort was great for 32 minutes, and so was Black Hawk's. I think this was a game where two teams showed a lot of character and effort," Albany head coach Derik Doescher said. "At times we made poor decisions and at times we took advantage of some opportunities that we had."
The Warriors' Michael Place, led all scorers with 16 points. But they didn't come easy.
Place, arguably the conference's best post player, was scoreless in the first quarter.
"Mike is kind of our key guy. We're not really doing anything to get him open because we're just not doing a lot of things well," Mortimer said. "We've got to find a way to get Mike open, because he can dominate a game."
The Comets built an early lead while Black Hawk was being held in Place. Albany closed out the first quarter with a 12-0 run, sparked by 3-pointers from Jake Lincicum and T.J.. Zweifel.
In the second quarter, Place made his touches in the paint worthwhile. He scored nine points in the quarter, and the Warriors pulled to within 26-25 by halftime.
"I thought (Black Hawk) was streaky and showed more effort at times, and at others I thought we were the ones on top," Doescher said.
By the break, rebounding seemed to be biggest difference - with Black Hawk dominating the boards.
"(Black Hawk) came in here on a mission tonight. Jerry (Mortimer) has his kids ready to go. They fought hard," Doescher said. "And for us to deal with Michael Place is hard. He's a leaper and he's tough on the boards. (We have) a lot of respect for him and those kids on Black Hawk's team."
The Warriors got a boost from a couple of baskets in the paint by Shane Jackson in the third quarter, and took a 35-28 lead with just less than three minutes left in the period.
Albany worked the score back to 35-34, but after that a few timely shots wouldn't fall. One of those was a transition layup by junior forward Bryce Hulbert, who had left just three minutes into the game with an apparent ankle injury.
"It was scary to see another starter go down," Doescher said. "He's a big part of our success. However, he was able to return and I don't think it really affected his play.
"I'm the type of coach who doesn't like to hear excuses and the kids know that when they are on the floor they are expected to give their best effort."
The Comets' big man shook it off and returned to action midway through the second quarter.
Mortimer was pleased that the win guarantees a winning season in his final year as head basketball coach.
"I'm happy to get this 11th win that guarantees us a winning season," he said.
Adams finished with 12 points and Schliem added 10 for Black Hawk.
Lincicum paced Albany with 12 points, many in transition and one highlight-reel up-and-under drive.
"His play this season has meant a lot. He has been our most consistent player night to night. His leadership, work ethic - he's meant a lot to this squad," Doescher said of Lincicum.
Zweifel had 11 points, Tyler Bauman had 10 and Adam Zurfluh added eight for the Comets.
But that made the Comets a target on Monday. And Black Hawk's road Warriors got a taste of revenge with a 49-45 victory.
"This is a big step," Black Hawk head coach Jerry Mortimer said.
"Now we have Monticello on Thursday and they're the conference champs. I told the guys in the locker room that I believe that if we played to our potential we'd be right there, too. So this is a chance for us to prove that."
Payton Schleim came up with what Mortimer called "probably the biggest play of the game for us," a driving basket with a minute left that gave Black Hawk a 45-42 lead.
T.J. Adams hit four straight free throws down the stretch to seal the win.
"I thought our effort was great for 32 minutes, and so was Black Hawk's. I think this was a game where two teams showed a lot of character and effort," Albany head coach Derik Doescher said. "At times we made poor decisions and at times we took advantage of some opportunities that we had."
The Warriors' Michael Place, led all scorers with 16 points. But they didn't come easy.
Place, arguably the conference's best post player, was scoreless in the first quarter.
"Mike is kind of our key guy. We're not really doing anything to get him open because we're just not doing a lot of things well," Mortimer said. "We've got to find a way to get Mike open, because he can dominate a game."
The Comets built an early lead while Black Hawk was being held in Place. Albany closed out the first quarter with a 12-0 run, sparked by 3-pointers from Jake Lincicum and T.J.. Zweifel.
In the second quarter, Place made his touches in the paint worthwhile. He scored nine points in the quarter, and the Warriors pulled to within 26-25 by halftime.
"I thought (Black Hawk) was streaky and showed more effort at times, and at others I thought we were the ones on top," Doescher said.
By the break, rebounding seemed to be biggest difference - with Black Hawk dominating the boards.
"(Black Hawk) came in here on a mission tonight. Jerry (Mortimer) has his kids ready to go. They fought hard," Doescher said. "And for us to deal with Michael Place is hard. He's a leaper and he's tough on the boards. (We have) a lot of respect for him and those kids on Black Hawk's team."
The Warriors got a boost from a couple of baskets in the paint by Shane Jackson in the third quarter, and took a 35-28 lead with just less than three minutes left in the period.
Albany worked the score back to 35-34, but after that a few timely shots wouldn't fall. One of those was a transition layup by junior forward Bryce Hulbert, who had left just three minutes into the game with an apparent ankle injury.
"It was scary to see another starter go down," Doescher said. "He's a big part of our success. However, he was able to return and I don't think it really affected his play.
"I'm the type of coach who doesn't like to hear excuses and the kids know that when they are on the floor they are expected to give their best effort."
The Comets' big man shook it off and returned to action midway through the second quarter.
Mortimer was pleased that the win guarantees a winning season in his final year as head basketball coach.
"I'm happy to get this 11th win that guarantees us a winning season," he said.
Adams finished with 12 points and Schliem added 10 for Black Hawk.
Lincicum paced Albany with 12 points, many in transition and one highlight-reel up-and-under drive.
"His play this season has meant a lot. He has been our most consistent player night to night. His leadership, work ethic - he's meant a lot to this squad," Doescher said of Lincicum.
Zweifel had 11 points, Tyler Bauman had 10 and Adam Zurfluh added eight for the Comets.
