CL girls wrap up outstanding regular season

The Clear Lake girls put the finishing touches on an outstanding regular season last week.  The Lions (17-2) topped North Central Conference foes Bishop Garrigan and Eagle Grove, and posted a non-conference win over Charles City.  The Lions, ranked third in Class 3A, begin the post-season Saturday by hosting Central 

Springs in the Regional opener.  Game time is 7 p.m.  The winner will advance to play the winner of the Osage vs. Garner-Hayfield/Ventura game on Wednesday, Feb. 19, in Clear Lake.

CL 52, Bishop Garrigan 39

The Lions sputtered on the road Tuesday, Feb. 4, but got the win against Bishop Garrigan, 52-39.

“We didn’t attack very well offensively and just had a bad shooting night on the road,” said Coach Bart Smith.  “We are good when we attack and draw help defensely, we didn’t do a lot of that tonight.”

Both teams struggled offensively in the first quarter and the Lions held an 8-4 lead.  Garrigan outscored the Lions 14-8 in the second period for an 18-16 halftime advantage.

Coach Smith said he was pleased that his team finally took control of the game in the final period and finished strong.  

The teams were tied at 27-27 at the end of the third quarter before the Lions were able to pull away down the stretch.

“ I was really pleased with how we shot free throws,” said Smith, noting the Lions made 25 of 28 free throws, most in the final quarter.

Logan Anderson was the only Clear Lake player to score in double digits with 25. She made 13 of 14 free throw attempts.

Bailey Kibsgaard scored nine and Trudy Peterson had eight points for the Lions.  Lindsey Loudenburg and Madison Faber each finished with four points and Kaye Faber had two.

Kibsgaard was the leader on the boards with seven rebounds.

CL 69, Charles City 53

The Lions stepped out of the NCC Thursday night to take on Charles City.  They topped the Comets, 69-53.

Senior Bailey Kibsgaard established herself in the post and was impressive, scoring 16 points and pulling down 11 rebounds.  Fellow seniors Logan Anderson and Trudy Peterson also finished in double figures with 18 and 11 points respectively. 

Coach Bart Smith noted Peterson had a good game, despite battling the flu.  

Lindsey Loudenburg chipped in eight points for the Lions, Kay Faber had seven and Madi Faber finished with five.  Emily Phalen and Katie Hewett got into the scorebook with a basket apiece.

The Lions held a 12-9 lead after one quarter of play and were up, 36-31, at the half.  

“The start of the second half was really good for us.  We extended our lead and they never got back into game because we took care of the ball and made free throws down the stretch,” said Coach Smith.

The Lions outscored the Comets 21-12 in the third for the difference.  

CL 69, Eagle Grove 13

Everyone had a chance to contribute to the team Friday, as the Lions hosted Eagle Grove in a lop-sided affair.  Clear Lake held the visitors to just six first half points and went on to win, 69-13.

Emily Phalen stepped in for senior Trudy Peterson, who was recovering from the flu.  Phalen scored a team-high 14 points, including three three-pointers.  She also joined Bailey Kibsgaard as the top rebounder with six.  Kibsgaard scored 13 points to make her Senior Night even more memorable.

Seniors Logan Anderson and Madi Faber had eight and seven points respectively.  

Juniors Katie Hewett and Sidney Borrill had eight and seven points respectively.  Lindsey Loudenburg and Kay Faber each finished with five points.   Freshman Emily Snelling had one fieldgoal for two points in the game.

Loudenburg swiped seven steals against the Eagles.

“We have that depth and, when needed, girls on this team step up,” said Coach Smith.  “It’s always nice to get a win Senior Night.  These seniors have put a lot of work in to get to where we are at this season.  A lot of our success this year is because of their commitments to the game and their teammates.  When you have seniors who care about their teammates it’s a good remedy for success.”