Clear Lake moves record to 12-0 in NCC

by Marianne Gasaway

The Clear Lake boys continued to rack up the wins last week.  With three more victories the Lions are now 17-2 overall and 12-0 in the North Central Conference with two NCC games remaining on the regular season schedule.

CL 69, H-D-CAL 41

The Lions started their week off with a rare Monday night tilt at Hampton-Dumont-CAL.  After a sluggish start, Clear Lake Coach Jeremey Ainley directed his players to use the press to speed up the tempo and cause some turnovers.  The approach worked, as the Lions jumped out to a 21-9 lead after one quarter.  More of the same in the second pushed the lead to 42-20 by the half.

“In the second half we were able to get some more guys some time and try to help build some depth,” explained Ainley.  

Several players contributed to the 69-41 victory.

Jack Barragy shot the ball well and finished with 16-points and Andrew Formanek had a nice game in the paint with 16-points.  Carson Toebe finished with 11-points, while Kody Kearns and Jaylen DeVries had seven points apiece, along with 14 rebounds from DeVries.  Eric Ritter came in and provided a spark from the bench with six-points.  Also coming off the bench was Brody Kuhlmeier with four-points and Jackson Loge with two.

“Overall, it was a nice win on the road for a team that continues to improve,” said the coach.

CL 78, GHV 52

The Clear Lake vs. GHV rivalry has produced close games in recent years.  But Thursday night was lopsided in the Lions’ favor, as they coasted to a 78-52 non-conference victory.

“Garner has some athletes and some guys that can score with the ball, so we knew we would have to be ready for them,” said Coach Ainley.  “I was pleased with our start offensively and defensively, jumping out very aggressive on defense to start.”

The Lions were able to create some early turnovers that led to some easy baskets on offense for the Lions.  As important as the scoring was the way the Lion crowd got into the game, according to the coach.  “We were able to take a 23-6 lead after one quarter and in the second quarter were able to build on it a little more, going into half 46-22.”

The Lions continued to defend at a fairly high level in the second half, although they turned it over a little more than the coach liked.  However, the Lions built their lead to 63-34. 

Reserves finished out the game and sealed the 78-52 victory.  

“We were very balanced on offense with scoring which was nice to see,” said Coach Ainley.

All five starters reached double figures, led by Jaylen DeVries with 16-points, seven rebounds and six assists.  Andrew Formanek had 15-points and Jack Barragy 14.   Carson Toebe had a strong all-around game with 13-points, 11 assists, and seven steals, and Kody Kearns finished with 12 points.

Eric Ritter added four-points and Jackson Loge and Mitchell Raber each scored two-points.

“Overall, I was really pleased with our effort,” said the coach.  “We started fast, played great defense and were very efficient on offense.  I liked how we ran the floor and got some easy looks.”

  The Cardinals gave up numerous scoring opportunities losing the ball in transitional situations.

“They got position on us in the paint and were able to clean up many of their misses,” said GHV Coach Jake Young.

Landon Dalbeck was the only player to generate double-digit scoring with 19 points in the game.  

“I think our team took a step in the right direction by realizing how physical and disciplined we need to be in order to beat a quality team like Clear Lake,” Young said.

CL 66, Humboldt 48

After a tough, physical, close game at Humboldt last month and playing the night before at home in an emotional game, Coach Ainley said he was very intrigued to see how his team would respond on Friday.  

“Although we showed some signs of fatigue during the game, we played very efficiently and had a very nice overall performance,” he said.  

The Lions started quick and were steady through the remainder of the game in a 66-48 win.

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Clear Lake outscored the Wildcats 19-12 in each of the first two quarters for a 38-24 advantage at the half. 

“In the third quarter we had a little adversity to deal with— some blood on a uniform and an ankle injury to a starter, but we were able to score a little and continue to defend,” explained the coach.  Despite the disruptions, Clear Lake still led, 50-36, heading into the final quarter and they returned to form for an 18-point win.

Carson Toebe shot the ball really well and got to the basket to lead the Lions with 20 points. Andrew Formanek scored 15 points and pulled down 14 rebounds.

“Jack Barragy played a nice overall game, despite not shooting it as well from outside, and got to the rim a little more to finish with 11 points,” said Coach Ainley.  “Kody Kearns scored 10 points, but more importantly had a great game defensively on one of their best shooters.”

Jaylen DeVries played a powerful overall game with six-points, 13 rebounds and six assists.  Eric Ritter and Brody Kuhlmeier got into the scorebook with two-points apiece.

“Again, it as a great performance on short rest against a quality team,” said Coach Ainley.  “I thought we were efficient and understood we needed a great defensive effort and executed it.”

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