Lions advance to Regional semis

(Above) Clear Lake senior Rowan Fread launches a shot in the Class 3A Regional quarterfinal played Saturday.  The Lions advanced with a lop-sided victory over Pocahontas Area.-Reporter photo by Chris Barragy.

Pocahontas Area falls victim to Lions

by Marianne Gasaway

Some early jitters made for a close first quarter, but after that the Clear Lake girls settled in an demolished Pocahontas Area in the opening round of the post-season played Saturday.  The Lions advanced to the Regional semi-final tonight (Wednesday, Feb. 13) at Humboldt.  They will meet Kuemper Catholic (10-12) in a 7 p.m. game.

“It took us a little bit to relax and play basketball to start this game,” said Clear Lake Coach Bart Smith after he saw his team fall behind 15-9 in the opening quarter. 

The Lions were taking good shots, but they simply weren’t falling.  But Clear Lake didn’t get 16 wins this season without putting up some points and playing excellent defense.

Both aspects of the game came together against Pocahontas Area.  The shots started to fall and Clear Lake’s defensive pressure took its toll in Clear Lake’s 75-31 victory.

The Lions scored 26 points in the second quarter, compared to just seven for their opponent and built a 35-18 lead by the half.

Sixteen Pocahontas turnovers in the second quarter also resulted in a number of scoring opportunities for the Lions.  In the game, Pocahontas committed 24 turnovers, while the Lions had eight.

Clear Lake continued to distance themselves throughout the second half by allowing their competitor just 13 second half points.

Lexi Fasbender was a force from beyond the arc, sinking eight of 18 three-point attempts for a total of 24-points and a new CLHS record, according to the coach.

Sara Faber was also in double digits for the Lions with 19-points.  Faber was also the leading rebounder with nine.  The junior also had seven of Clear Lake’s 11 steals in the game.

Zoe Fasbender put in seven points for the Lions and Julia Merfeld added six.  Ali Maulsby and Kaitlyn Vanderploeg, both sophomores, came off the bench to score six apiece.  Maulsby was also credited with two blocked shots, while Vanberploeg pulled down six rebounds. Chelsey Holck, another sophomore, had five points.  Mikayla Vanderploeg had one basket for the Lions.

CL 61, H-D 41

The Lions had an easy time at Hampton-Dumont Tuesday, Feb. 5, in their final game of the regular season.  Clear Lake won, 61-41.

“We shot the ball really well and had a balanced attack offensively,” said Coach Bart Smith.  “We have multiple girls that can be the leading scorers on our team.”

Sophomore Zoe Fasbender had a hot hand, sinking 21-points on eight-of-11 shooting from

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then  field.  She drained four-of-five three-point attempts.  Sara Faber also had a good night with 18 points and six assists.  She also shared rebounding honors with Chelsey Holck, with each player pulling down six.  Holck scored six points in the victory.

The remainder of the Lions’ scoring was provided by Julie Merfeld and Lexi Fasbender with five-points apiece, and Jaden Ainley and Ali Maulsby each with three.

The Lions wasted no time taking control of the game.  They led 20-6 after one quarter of play and went into the locker room at halftime ahead by a score of 34-21.

“Defensively, we had spots where we were really good and then a few times we didn’t identify shooters very well,” said Coach Smith.  “They went on a nine-zero run in the third quarter, but after a timeout we settled down and went on our own run and finished the game well.  I was pleased to see girls not panic and Zoe hit some big shots for us in the fourth quarter that allowed us to go on our run.”

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