CL boys come out on top of close contests

(Above) Clear Lake’s Parker Truesdell eludes a New Hampton defender in Monday night’s game.  Truesdell was hot from the three-point line and led the team in scoring with 18-points. -Reporter photo by Chris Barragy

Luck was on their side this week, as the Lions picked up two close games.

CL 63, New Hampton 59

The Lions started out slowly, but gained momentum and won an exciting non-conference game with New Hampton Monday, Jan. 11.  The 63-59 win broke a five-game losing streak.

“Once we got the pace more to our liking in the second quarter, we cut it to two at half time,” said Coach Jeremy Ainley, whose team scored just seven points in the first quarter.  By halftime the score was 28-16.

The Lions dictated a faster pace of play in the third quarter and held a lead for most of the second half.

Parker Truesdell caught fire in the third and fourth quarters, with five of his six threes coming in the second half.  The senior finished the game with a team-high 18-points.  Zach Tatum also was able to get a lot of baskets in transition and scored 15. Tatum also had five steals and four rebounds.

After a back-and-forth fourth quarter, the Lions were able to execute down the stretch and make some free throws to seal the win.

Zach Lester was 9/9 from the line and played an excellent game all around with 13 points and eight assists.

Thomas Storbeck scored eight points, Justin Sholly had five, and Parker Pitzen and Evan Krause each scored two points.  Sholly and Pitzen each had four rebounds.

“It was nice to finally pull through in a close game with a win,” said Coach Ainley.  “Credit goes to our staff for some great suggestions down the stretch.  They are very knowledgable and are doing a great job.”

CL 59, Humboldt 53

The Lions battled hard and came away with a 59-53 victory over Humboldt Friday night, Jan. 15.

“We started out great with a lot of energy and our press caused some early turnovers that got us up by as many as 11 points early,” said Coach Jeremy Ainley.

Humboldt picked it up in the second quarter and cut the lead to three points by halftime.

The battle continued in the second half.  The Lions trailed by four, when Thomas Storbeck hit two big threes and the defense was able to force some turnovers to give Clear Lake the lead once again.  Free throws were also the game changer in the fourth quarter, as Clear lake was 9/11 from the line.

“Road wins in conference play are some of the hardest wins you can earn,” said Ainley.  “Overall I was pleased with our effort and continued growth in close games.”

Storbeck had a great game for the Lions, collecting 20-points.  Parker Truesdell had some big threes and finished the game with nine points.  Zach Lester and Zach Tatum had eight points apiece and Parker Pitzen added six.

Pitzen led the team under the boards with seven rebounds.

St. Edmond comes to town Friday night.