Lions pick up some impressive wins

For the second year in a row the Clear Lake Lions notched an impressive win over Waverly-Shell Rock.  Monday night the Lions used an effective defensive strategy and remained calm under pressure to post a 52-42 victory over the third ranked (4A) Go-Hawks.

The Lions, rated eighth in Class 3A, improved their record to 2-1 overall.

“We played well the whole game.  We were composed in a back and forth battle in the first half and down the stretch, when we were up by 11, we stayed aggressive and made good decisions,” said Coach Bart Smith after the win.

The Lions led by five points midway through he first period, thanks to their pressure defense.  The Go-Hawks took just five shots during the first five-minutes of the ball game.  Three-pointers helped the visitor to keep the game close, as the first quarter finished in a 13-13 tie.  The Go-Hawks made three treys in the first half to hold a 23-21 advantage at the halftime break.

The Lions quickly evened the score by opening the third quarter with a basket to tie the game at 23-23.  Jessica Faber quickly followed with a three-point basket to put Clear Lake ahead.  Emily Snelling, was also unflappable in the second half.  She knocked down her 15th point near the end of the third to put the Lions up, 34-30.

A steal, drive and left-hand layup by freshman Julia Merfeld gave Clear Lake momentum and a 36-30 lead by the end of the third quarter.  During the period the Lions were 5/10 shooting, while the Go-Hawks struggled at 3/10/

Another three-pointer, this time by Jordyn Barragy, gave the Lions a 39-30 lead at the start of the final frame.  A steal by Merfeld resulted in a basket by Jessica Faber and an 11 point Lion lead, 41-30.

Down the stretch the Lions kept the pressure on.  A back court trap rattled the Go-Hawks and turnovers continued to result in Lion baskets.

A three-pointer by WSR’s Rachel Byl made the score 49-42 with just over one-minute to play, but that was as close as WSR could get. A free throw from Chloe Mueller and a Barragy lay-up made the final 52-42.

Snelling was the Lions’ leading scorer with 19 points.  Jessica Faber had 13 and Sara Faber scored nine-points.  Barragy finished with five points, Mueller had four and Merfeld scored two.

Coach Smith said he was at a loss to name a most valuable player in the game, noting that two players were in double figures, with a freshman player (Sara Faber) close behind.  He noted another freshman, Merfeld, had a key steal and basket.

“We’re not scared of the moment,” said Smith.  “We stayed composed, made free throws when we needed to and got rebounds.  It was a well played defensive game.”

Coach Smith said he was proud of the way his team rebounded and took the game to the taller Go-Hawk team.  The Lions pulled down 26 rebounds, compared to 23 for WSR.

CL 78, Charles City 30

The Lions were too much for Charles City Tuesday, Nov. 22.  The Lions dropped the Comets, 78-30.

From the start the Lions were ready to run and caused the home team problems on offense and defense.

“I thought because of our tempo we were able to get in a nice rhythm offensively,” said Coach Bart Smith.  “We also did a nice job in our press.  We wanted to set the tempo early and force them to play fast.”

The pace favored the Lions throughout the game and helped them jump out to a 30-4 first quarter lead.  Clear Lake scored 25 in the second period, but the Comets managed to put 18 on the board for a 55-22 halftime score.

“I didn’t like how we gave up 18 points in the second quarter,” said Smith.  “We need to be more consistent in defending for four quarters.”

The coach did like how well the team shared the ball, helping four

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players to finish in double digit scoring.

Senior Emily Snelling, who missed the first game of the season with an injury, was in the lineup and led the way with 17-points.  She also narrowly missed a triple double, with 11 steals and a team-high seven assists.

Senior Jessica Faber put in 14-points and juniors Gretchen Jones and Jordyn Barragy had 13-points apiece.  Faber and Jones were both effective from beyond the three-point arc, as Faber sunk two of five attempts and Jones made three of five.

Julia Merfeld scored seven points for the Lions and had four steals.  Sara Faber finished with six points and Chloe Mueller had five.  Faber and Mueller, along with Mikayla Vanderploeg, led the team with five rebounds.  Emilie Jandebeur rounded out the scoring with three points.

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