Oh, what a night!

(Above) GHV’s Jonathan O’Connor played his heart out Monday night on his way to a game high 27-points.  Here, Clear Lake’s Evan Krause fouled O’Connor at the end of the third OT and sent him to the line where he connected on both free throws.  -Reporter photos by Chris Barragy

[caption id="attachment_14694" align="alignleft" width="270"] It was a battle of the bigs when Clear Lake’s Justin Sholly and GHV’s Sam Cataldo fought for position under the basket. Also pictured for Clear Lake is Zach Tatum (11) and Thomas Storbeck (15). Harley Forry is also pictured for GHV.[/caption]

Cardinals outlast Lions in 3 OT

It took three overtimes, but the Garner-Hayfield-Ventura boys topped Clear Lake, 88-77, in a non-conference matchup Monday night, Jan. 4, in Clear Lake.  The game was fast-paced and frenzied throughout, with free throw shooting and bench depth ultimately deciding the outcome.

The Lions (4-4) made just 13 of 30 free throw attempts, while the Cardinals (8-2) were 32/50 from the line and made nine of 14 free throws in the three overtime periods.

“We were able to keep control of the game in the third and fourth quarters, but in the end we turned the ball over too many times and missed too many free throws.  I was proud of our effort and execution.  We just didn’t take care of the ball and step up and make free throws when we had to,” said Clear Lake Coach Jeremy Ainley.  “Credit to them— they have a great team and Joe does a great job.”

GHV Coach Joe Albertson returned the compliment to Clear Lake, saying both teams had many players step up and make great plays.  He noted the game marked a couple of firsts for GHV; it was the first three overtime game in school history and first time the team has attempted 50 free throws.

The Lions jumped out to an early 20-6 lead largely because their pressure caused the Cardinals some trouble.  At the end of one quarter Clear Lake held a comfortable 21-11 lead.

“To their credit, they fought back and made it close at half,” said Ainley.

The Cards outscored the home team, 17-10, in the second quarter to pull within two at halftime, 30-28.

The Lions surged again in the third quarter, as they started the period on an 8-0 run to go ahead 40-32.  The lead was five for the Lions heading into the final frame.

With two-minutes remaining in regulation, GHV freshman James Betz drained a three-point attempt to knot the score at 55-55.  A Clear Lake turnover led to a quick basket  by Nick Joynt putting the Cards up, 57-55.

With :35 seconds on the clock it was Clear Lake’s turn for heroics.  Thomas Storbeck connected for two of his team-high 27 points.  Turnovers and missed shots left the teams tied, 57-57.

The Cards scored first in the first four-minute overtime period, but things began to turn Clear Lake’s way at the two-minute mark.  Zach Tatum scored and was fouled by GHV’s big man, Sam Cataldo.  With the Cardinal senior out of the game with five fouls, Storbeck again applied pressure, driving to the basket to put the Lions ahead, 62-61. Storbeck sunk one of two free-throw attempts to make the score 63-61 with under one-minute to play.  GHV’s Payton James stole the ball and scored to tie the game at 63, but Zach Lester quickly had the Lions ahead again with a layup.  James had the last word with a basket just before the buzzer to force a second overtime.

This time GHV took the early lead on free throws and a jam by Betz, 70-66.  Storbeck led a Lion charge with under one-minute remaining.  The junior nailed a three-pointer to pull his team within one.  With just 6.4 seconds remaining GHV had victory in its grasp, 74-71, but Parker Truesdell refused to give up.  The senior threw up a three-pointer that swooshed through the net just before the buzzer, 74-74.

Truesdell connected on another trey midway through the third OT for his 12th point on the night, all scored from three-point range.  From there the Cards did their damage from the charity stripe, adding five points on free throws after baskets to put the game out of reach.  The Cards outscored the Lions 14-3 in the final OT for the 88-77 win.

Coach Ainley said he saw good play from a number of his senior CLHS players.

“I thought Thomas (Storbeck) played a great game and made some big baskets and Zach Tatum really played well, despite giving up six to seven-inches on their big guys.  Parker Truesdell shot the ball well, including a buzzer beater to send it to a third OT.  Overall,  we will continue to get better and learn with our young guys from games like these and they will better prepare us for a conference and tournament run.”

Clear Lake’s scoring was rounded out by Tatum’s 19 points, six from Lester and Parker Pitzen, four from Evan Krause and three from Justin Sholly.

Likewise, GHV Coach Albertson said valuable lessons were learned in the game.

“I am proud of the effort the boys made to get back in the game and how they refused to lose.  It sure was an exciting game for the fans.”

Jonathan O’Connor was the leading scorer for the Cards with 27.  Cataldo put in 20 points and Betz scored 12 points, all coming in the fourth quarter and after.  Nick Joynt also had 12 points,  while James put in six and Harley Forry five. Turner Albertson and Holden Hutcheson each finished with three points.

The Lions return to North Central Conference play this week.  They are on the road to Webster City Friday, Jan. 8, before making a non-conference stop at Forest City Saturday, Jan. 9. Lion fans will be able to cheer their team on at home Monday, Jan. 11, when they host New Hampton in another non-conference tilt.

GHV hosts North Union on Friday and North Iowa, Buffalo Center Tuesday, Jan. 12.