Lions run win streak to three with tough defense

(Above) Trapped in the Lion’s den - Ryan Atkinson (33), Cody Matz (35) and Drew Enke (25) had this Humboldt player trapped in North Central Conference basketball action Friday night.  Good defense helped the Lions to a 67-44 victory.-Reporter photo by Chris Barragy.

Humboldt is latest  victim, 67-44

The Clear Lake boys picked up their third straight win with a 67-44 victory over Humboldt (5-8, 3-6) Friday night.  The Lions are now 8-7 overall and 6-3 in the North Central Conference.

“It was good to get back on the court after missing games due to the weather and postponements,” said Head Coach Jeremey Ainley.

The Lions had a little rust in the first half, after not playing for  a week, but were able to take a 25-20 lead in to halftime.

“Drew Enke did a great job in the first half knocking down some shots and after half time we were able to speed the game up and force some turnovers and get some easy baskets,” said Coach Ainley.

Clear Lake scored 22 points in the third quarter and jumped to a 16 point lead.  The Lions continued to platy well in the fourth quarter and recorded a 23 point victory.

“Overall, I was really pleased with our defensive effort.  We have really done a great job lately guarding in the half court and in turn have won some games,” said Ainley.

Thomas Storbeck had a great shooting night and led the team in scoring with 27 points.  The senior also grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds.

Zach Lester continues to play at a high level and scored 20 points to go with his five assists and six steals.  Enke shot it well and continues to improve, scoring 12 points.  The Lions also got great contributions from Jaylen DeVries, Sean Wendel, Jared Penning and Evan Krause.

“Overall I am very pleased with our progress, but now the schedule tightens back up and we have a lot of games and not a lot of practices so if we want to make a move it is time,” added Coach Ainley.