CL boys power past NCC teams, fall to Crestwood

(Above) Cody Matz provided the Lions with some points off the bench in Clear Lake’s 20-point  win over Iowa Falls-Alden.  Here, Matz drove past the Cadets to score two of his four points.-Reporter photo by Chris Barragy.

The Clear Lake boys sandwiched a loss with wins this week, putting their record at 9-8 overall heading into February.

CL 79, IF-A 59

The Lions got off to a great start both shooting the ball and getting down the floor and ran past Iowa Falls-Alden 79-59 Tuesday, Jan. 26.

“Our press gave us some easy baskets and we were able to control the game from that stand point,” said Coach Jeremy Ainley.

Clear Lake went on a 14-2 run to end the first half to put themselves up 15 at the half, 44-29.  Momentum continued in the third quarter with 23 more points, helping the team to a 20-point win.

Four Lions finished in double figures, led by Thomas Storbeck with 27 points, eight rebounds and seven steals.  Zach Lester provided a spark to the run in the second quarter and finished with 14 points, many coming off his seven steals.  Parker Truesdell continues to shoot the ball well and finished with 14 points, including four three-pointers, while Zach Tatum scored 12 points and had seven rebounds.

Adding to the point total was Evan Krause and Cody Matz, each with four points, and Jarod Anderson and Parker Pitzen with two apiece.

Crestwood 64, CL 62

Despite a career-high 34 points from Thomas Storbeck, the Clear Lake boys were edged by Crestwood, 64-62, Thursday, Jan. 28.

“We knew going in that Crestwood would be a tough matchup versus a 3A school and we gave ourselves a chance to win,” said Coach Ainley.   “I was proud of the effort, just not the outcome.”

After getting out to a slow start and getting down 10-3, the Lions caught their breath and came back to lead after the first quarter, 20-16.

“They forced us to change some things defensively and we were able to keep making shots and lead by six at the half.  In the second half, unfortunately we were not able to execute defensively and we let a tight ball game slip because we couldn’t get stops,” said the coach.

Thomas Storbeck played a great game offensively with 34 points, with 5/10 shooting from behind the arc.

Parker Truesdell had a shot with 10 seconds left that rimmed out, but he finished with 13 points.  Zach Lester put in seven points and was credited with 11 assists.   Zach Tatum and Parker Pitzen each had four points.

CL 77, C-G-D 50

Coach Ainley said that after a tough loss the night before, he had no idea what to expect when the Lions returned to action against Clarion-Goldfield-Dows on Friday.

“We came out down 6-1 and I was concerned,” said Ainley.  “But we started making some shots and controlling the game defensively and came back to take a 14-12 lead at the end of one.  In the second quarter we continued to make some shots and played great defense even with our leading scorer on the bench in foul trouble.”

The Lions  took a 34-27 lead into half and in the third the quarter started to get transition baskets.  They sealed the win in the fourth with open looks and great defensive play.

“Zach Tatum had his best offensive game and really sparked some big runs with 23 points,” said Ainley.

Thomas Storbeck, who didn’t play most of the first half, came in to the second half and shot the ball well to finish with 20 points and six rebounds.

“Zach Lester continues to improve and had a great game with 12 points and 10 assists to only one turnover,” noted the coach.

Parker Truesdell hit some big three-pointers to finish with nine.  Parker Pitzen had four points, Noah Heggen and Jarod Anderson scored three apiece, Lucas Kirchhoff two, and Ryan Atkinson had one point.

“Overall I was really pleased to get the road win,” said Ainley.  “We took care of the ball and forced them to 37 percent shooting from the field— two keys to success.”