By Kevin Cunningham
Correspondent
The Delavan-Darien High School boys basketball team’s season started on a high note with a 54-42 season-opening win.
After that game, the Comets had two more contests the following week, resulting in one win and one loss.
Last week, the Comets played two more games, starting with a Dec. 6 matchup against Muskego. Before the game, Comets head coach Chris Hembrook said it would be a test for his team.
Delavan-Darien competes in Division 2 based on its enrollment, while Muskego competes in Division 1. The bigger school proved to have the strength in numbers on Dec. 6, as Muskego defeated Delavan-Darien, 76-43.
In most statistics, Muskego got the best of the Comets. From the free-throw line, Muskego made and attempted more free throws and also made more 3-pointers – eight – compared to the Comets going 7-of-21.
Only two players in the game scored in double digits and both were from Muskego. For the Comets, Dakota Williams led the team with nine, going 2-of-2 from behind the arc. The Comets also recorded just 10 assists compared to its 17 turnovers.
After the matchup against the team competing in a higher division, Delavan-Darien faced a Southern Lakes Conference foe on the road at Union Grove three days later. Despite having to play away from home, the Comets came away from the game with a 68-58 victory.
It took some time for Hembrook’s team to come together, as Union Grove held a 24-21 lead at halftime. But, once the second half began, Delavan-Darien outscored its opponent, 47-34.
Tommy Hummel led all scorers with 21, going 4-of-7 from 3-point range and 3-of-4 from the foul line. It was a team victory in the sense of scoring though, as aside from Hummel, three other Comets topped the 10-point mark, as Williams scored 14, Jayce Crull had 11 and Seth Kirsch added 10 of his own.
Senior forward Ethan Cesarz scored only six points but hauled in a game-high 11 rebounds for the team’s third win of the season. Delavan-Darien out-rebounded Union Grove 35-25 in the game and is now 3-2 overall.
This week, the Comets will have two more games on their schedule, both at home. On Tuesday, the team was scheduled to host Wilmot Union and on Friday, the Comets have a 7:30 p.m. game against Badger.
As of now, both Wilmot Union and Badger are 1-3 overall. A year ago, the Comets went 2-0 against Wilmot Union while losing both of their match-ups against Badger.
