Lions top C-G-D and H-D-CAL

By Marianne Gasaway

The Lions pushed their record to 5-1 overall last week with victories over North Central Conference opponents Clarion-Goldfield-Dows and Hampton-Dumont. Currently, Algona leads the NCC with a 3-0 record and Iowa Falls-Alden is 3-1.  Clear Lake and Humboldt are next at 2-1.

CL 58, C-G-D 53

A strong second half lifted the Clear Lake boys to a five-point win over Clarion-Goldfield-Dows Tuesday, Dec. 15.  The Lions rallied from a two-point halftime deficit to lead by as many as nine in the second half on the way to a 58-53 victory.

“We were a little sluggish in first half,” said Coach Jeremey Ainley.  “We moved some guys into some positions they were not quite accustomed to before the game and it showed in the first half.  We were very tentative on offense and were forcing the action a little more than needed, which resulted in turnovers and some poor shot selection.”

After an even first quarter, 12-12, the Lions went into the locker room at half time trailing, 24-22.   Ainley said he challenged his team to continue to guard on defense and push the tempo more on offense in the second half.  

The strategy worked, as the Lions outscored the Cowboys 21-10 in the third quarter.

“ In the fourth we played just good enough to get out with a win,” added the coach.

Andrew Formanek had a monster night with 21 points and 19 rebounds.  

Joe Faber gave the team a spark off the bench and had some big shots, including five three-pointers, to finish with 19 points.  Eric Ritter had a nice overall game with nine points, 10 rebounds and four blocks.  Jett Neuberger had a couple big shots to finish with six points and Noah Petersen had three-points to go along with his seven assists. 

“A win is a win,” added Ainley.  “With a young team and guys continuing to figure out what varsity basketball is all about you can never take a win for granted.  It was nice for the guys to respond while facing a little adversity.”

CL 65, H-D-CAL 32

Clear Lake jumped out to a 20-0 lead and never looked back against Hampton-Dumont Friday night, Dec. 18.  The Lions won the NCC game, 65-32.

“After a couple good days of practice I was interested to see our guys continue to improve,” said Coach Jeremey Ainley.  

The Lions scored a staggering 30 points in the first quarter and continued to shoot well throughout the remainder of the first half and were up 50-17 at the break.

“We had eight three-pointers in the first half coming off great ball movement and making good basketball plays -- sharing the ball and not caring who scored,” said Ainley.

It was a much different third quarter, with the Lions scoring just two-points, but they still cruised to the win in the fourth.

Andrew Formanek led the team with 16 points, 15 rebounds and three blocks.  Jett Neuberger had a very productive night and continued to shoot it well, finishing with 13 points, and Carson Toebe had a nice overall game with 12 points, five assists and four steals.

Jagger Schmitt, Joe Faber and PJ Feuerbach had six points apiece, while Travaughn Luyobya put in four and Tucker Jones had two.

“It is nice to continue to see improvement as a team -- we still have a long ways to go,” said Ainley.  “We are still figuring out how each other fit into what we are trying to do as a team, but it has been nice to continue to have success.  We face another tough road trip before break and it will be good to see if we can handle the road a little better than the last time.”

The Lions were at Iowa Falls-Alden last night (Tuesday, Dec. 22).  They resume play Monday, Jan. 4, hosting Waverly-Shell Rock.