Fourth ranked Lions pick up two more wins

(Above) Clear Lake’s Chelsea Holck puts some pressure on a Nevada ball handler as she brings the ball down the floor.  -Reporter photo by Chris Barragy

Fourth ranked (3A) Clear Lake is off to a fast start this season.  The Lions are now 3-0 after wins over Nevada and Algona last week.

CL 56, Nevada 34

The Lions were challenged by the height of Nevada’s team, but ultimately quick hands and feet, combined with experience successfully closing out games, provided a 56-34 victory Tuesday, Dec. 1.

“Our girls did a nice job adjusting to Nevada’s size and physicality,” said Head Coach Bart Smith after the win.  “I thought offensively we attacked well but didn’t finish particularly well by the basket.   Their size definitely altered some of our shots.”

The first quarter set a competitive tone for the game, as the Lions held a slim 15-13 lead.  However, good defense helped Clear Lake outscore the Cubs, 10-2, in the second quarter for a 25-15 halftime score.

Nevada adjusted its game and closed the margin in the third quarter by outscoring the Lions, 12-9.  

“Our third quarter start wasn’t the best, but we stayed with our game plan and eventually was able to get control and finish with a good fourth quarter,” said Smith.  “Ali Maulsby was a key contributor in that fourth quarter run, getting tips and steals in our defense.”

Senior Chelsey Holck and junior Jaden Ainley scored top scoring honors with 16 apiece.  They were also leaders in rebounds with Holck grabbing six and Ainley getting nine.

Emily Theiss put in eight points and four rebounds for the Lions.

Annika Nelson and Brooklyn Eden came off the bench to score eight five points respectively.  Macey Holck drained her only shot of the game, a three-pointer.

CL 60, Algona 35

The Lions fought back from a slow start to defeat Algona, 60-35, in their first North Central Conference game Friday, Dec. 4.  

“We had a slow start, with little to no energy in the first half,” explained Coach Smith. “With things the way they are with COVID restrictions, we have got to do a better job of producing our own energy.”

Despite the slow start, the Lions were up 10-6 after the first quarter and 21-16 at the half.  

The coach’s halftime message seemed to light a fire under his team and the Lions began to dominate in the second half.  The aggressive play resulted in 17 steals for the Lions, compared to five for Algona.  The Bulldogs also had 29 turnovers, while Clear Lake committed 13.

“We were more active on the offensive end and were able to get a couple nice runs,” said Smith, who saw his team outscore the Bulldogs by 20-points in the second half.

For the second game in a row Chelsey Holck paced the Lions with 16-points,including four three-pointers.  Jaden Ainley was also in double figures with 11-points.  Emily Theiss  scored seven points.  Annika Nelson and Ali Maulsby put in four and three-points respectively.

Xada Johnson provided a spark off the bench with nine points and a team-high seven rebounds.  A good number of Lions also got valuable floor time and contributed to the scoring.  Brooklyn Eden scored four-points, while Jordan Mayland, Layne Lester and Autumn VanHorn finished with two-points apiece.