Lions come out on top in close games

(Above) Kody Kearns went airborn to make a pass over two Algona defenders in Tuesday night’s game.  Kearns got a big steal in the game to help seal the Lions’ victory.  -Reporter photo by Chris Barragy

by Michelle Watson

Tough competition didn’t slow the Clear Lake boys down last week.  The team picked up two close wins, moving their record to 9-2 overall and 6-0 in the North Central Conference.

Clear Lake 53, Algona 51

It’s always a great game when the Lions face Algona, and the home game on Tuesday, Jan. 14, didn’t disappoint.

“The game lived up to the hype,” said Coach Jeremey Ainley.  “We know them very well, as they have a lot of the same guys back from last year’s team.”

The Lions were able to jump out early to a 6-2 lead.  The Bulldogs capitalized on some three-point shots and took a one-point lead by the end of the first quarter, 14-13.

Clear Lake’s offense shut-down in the second quarter, while Algona’s went into overdrive.  By halftime the Lions trailed by 11-points, 31-20.

“We made some adjustments - mainly the tempo at which we wanted to play,” said Ainley.  “We were able to speed them up a little more than they were comfortable doing.”

The adjustment paid off, with the Lions gaining ground in the third quarter.  They only trailed by three-points heading into the fourth quarter, 39-36.

Timely shots and strong defense aided Clear Lake in the fourth quarter, putting them back into the game.  The Lions trailed by two with :18 seconds on the clock.  Clear Lake executed a set run with Carson Toebe making a great pass across the court to a wide open Nick Danielson for the go-ahead three with :06 left on the clock.  Kody Kearns got a big steal on the inbounds play for the final  53-51 victory.

“We need to shoot it a little better overall, but it was nice to get a win when you don’t play your best,” said Ainley.

Toebe shot it well and was instrumental on getting the team back in the game with a team high 22-points and seven rebounds.  He also had three steals.

Andrew Formanek also had a good night with 11-points, seven rebounds and two blocked shots.

Kearns added nine-points, while Jack Barragy finished with six-points.

Jaylen DeVries led the team in assists with five, to go with his seven rebounds.

“Overall, it was great team win after a disappointing loss last week.  The guys responded at half time and showed some grit when facing adversity,” said Ainley.

Clear Lake 43, W-SR 38 (OT)

Due to an incoming snow storm on Friday, the game at Waverly-Shell Rock was moved to Thursday night, Jan. 16.  The date change didn’t bother Clear Lake when they faced the Go-Hawks in a tough, physical battle that pitted two strong defensive teams against each other.  The game had to go into overtime for an outcome.

“Waverly is always a great defensive team and they forced us into some tough shots in the first quarter,” said Coach Jeremey Ainley.  “We did not respond well offensively to the game and took some quick shots and had too many turnovers.”

Clear Lake’s careless play put them down 11-5 after the first quarter.  Midway through the second quarter they were still struggling, 16-7.  A nine point run closed the gap to 16-14 by halftime.

Clear Lake picked up the tempo in the third quarter and headed into the fourth quarter with a 30-30 tie.

The fourth quarter was tight, with back-to-back scoring and the lead changing hands numerous times.  Clear Lake had a chance to win, but a deflected pass put the game into overtime, 36-36.

Clear Lake’s defense did its job in OT, holding W-SR to just two points. The Lion offense attacked the basket to score seven points and garner the 43-38 road win.

Andrew Formanek picked up a double-double with 17-points and 12-rebounds.  He also had six blocked shots.

Carson Toebe got the team going early and ended with eight-points, while Kody Kearns had a huge fourth quarter and added seven-points.  Toebe also had five rebounds, four assists and two steals.  Kearns grabbed four rebounds and had three assists and two blocked shots.

Jack Barragy had seven points.  Jaylen DeVries grabbed nine rebounds and led the team in assists with seven.

“Overall, it was a nice road win against a consistent 3A opponent,” said Ainley.  “Again, we did not shoot the ball well, but we were still able to grind out a win.  We will get back to work in practice and get our offense running more smoothly.”