CL girls 4-0

The third ranked (3A) Clear Lake girls have jumped out to a 4-0 record.  The Lions added two more wins to their total last week, topping West Fork in a non-conference game and Hampton-Dumont in their North Central opener.

After a week-long layoff, the Lions are at home Friday night, Dec. 8, to take on Algona.  Tuesday, Dec. 12, they will be at Clarion-Goldfield.

CL 51, West Fork 23

The Lions used an 8-0 run to close out the first half and give themselves some breathing room against West Fork Tuesday on the road.  The scoring spree provided the Lions with the momentum shift they needed to go on and post a 51-37 victory.

The teams were knotted at 7-7 after the first quarter, however the Lions finished strong in the second period, outscoring the Warhawks 19-9 for a 26-16 halftime lead.

Even play resumed in the second half, making the second quarter run crucial to the win.  The Lions outscored West Fork 16-15 and 9-7 in the final two quarters.

The Lions used nine three-pointers to help them against the taller West Fork lineup.  Sisters Zoe and Lexi Fasbender accounted for seven of the treys, with Zoe hitting four on her way to a 14 point performance and Lexi sinking three, helping her to 13 points.

Sara Faber topped the Lion scoring with 20 points.  She was also the leader on the boards with four rebounds.  She was a nightmare on defense for the Warhawks with 10 steals.

Chloe Mueller pulled down three rebounds to go with her five assists and three points.  Gretchen Jones finished with one point.

“The girls defended their bigs very well (6’4 and 6’1),” said Clear Lake Coach Bart Smith.  “It was a team effort on the defensive end and I was happy with how they played at that end.  Offensively, we are shooting the three pretty well, but we need to find a way to get buckets by the basket.”

CL 47, H-D 23

A balanced scoring attack and stingy defense helped the Lions to a win in their conference opener Friday, Dec. 1, at Hampton-Dumont.

“It was a very slow start for us tonight.  I relate that to not being mentally ready to play,” said Coach Bart Smith.  “We missed a lot of uncontested shots and it was frustrating to see that.  We need to have more focus on the road.”

The Bulldogs held a 6-4 lead after one quarter of play, but 15 second quarter points lifted the Lions to a 19-14 halftime lead.

Clear Lake’s defense kept the home team in single digits scoring for the remaining two quarters, while its offense began to produce.  A 17-5 third quarter gave the Lions a comfortable lead for the remainder of the game.

Freshman Zoe Fasbender came off the bench to lead the team in scoring with 13, including three three-pointers.

“Zoe Fasbender is starting to become a consistent scorer for us on the bench, which will make a deep team that will be tough to guard when we start getting some chemistry on offense,” said Coach Smith.

Gretchen Jones and Lexi Fasbender had eight points apiece.  Jordyn Barragy contributed six points and pulled down five rebounds. Chloe Mueller also had six points and helped the team with three assists and five steals.

Sara Faber had three points. Taylor Krull came in to score two points and Mikayla VanderPloeg was key to the Lion defense with a team-high seven rebounds.  She scored one point.

The Lions’ defensive pressure created 18 steals.

“I thought our seniors played well.    Defense was good again and that needs be great every game,” added the coach.  “I am happy with where we are at defensively.