Bulldogs shut CL girls down

(Above) Clear Lake’s Mckenna Backhaus looks for her shot as she drives to the basket during Friday night’s game. -Reporter photo by Chris Barragy

Ninth ranked Hampton-Dumont (3-0) disrupted a three game win streak by the Clear Lake (3-2) girls with a 63-34 victory Friday night, Dec. 11.

“We never got off to the start we wanted,” said Coach Bart Smith, whose team scored just four first quarter points to put themselves in a deep hole.  “Hampton is a really good team when they make shots— and they did.  It’s hard to play catch up when they are making their shots and we aren’t being aggressive. “

The Lions had a better second quarter and equaled the Bulldogs’ output with 13 points. At the half, H-D held a 31-17 lead.

A flat start in the third quarter doomed the Lions, as they fell behind 42-24.  The Bulldogs continued to press in the fourth and outscored the Lions 20-10 for the 29-point win.

Emily Snelling and Jessica Faber finished in double figures for the lions with 11 and 10 points respectively.  Center Ellie Biebesheimer put in five points, while Chloe Mueller and Erin O’Tool had three apiece.  Jordyn Barragy made one basket  for two points.

O’Tool was a defensive specialist, grabbing a team-high 11 rebounds.  Snelling followed with five rebounds and joined Mueller with two steals apiece.

“I’m disappointed in the way our girls value the processes of preparing.  We haven’t had the practices we had at the start of the season and I feel it has translated over to our games,” said Coach Smith.  “Hampton is not 30 points better than us and it starts in practice.  You practice like you play and we are playing the way we have practiced lately. That needs to change.”