Two more NCC wins for CL girls

     The Clear Lake girls continue to put pressure on the top teams in the conference.  Last week the Lions edged Bishop Garrigan and posted a win at Clarion-Goldfield to improve to 10-4 in the North Central Conference and 10-6 overall.   They dropped a 47-39 game to Iowa Falls-Alden in a make-up game played Saturday.  They currently stand in third place in the league behind St. Ed’s (15-0) and Algona (10-3).

CL 45, Garrigan 43
    Coach Bart Smith was right. After his team topped Algona in a close contest (49-47) he predicted his team would again prevail in a close contest because they have a winner’s mentality.  Tuesday, the Lions’ Logan Anderson sunk a pair of free throws with :12 seconds left in overtime to give the Lions a two point lead.  They survived three shot attempts by the Bulldogs (11-8) in the final seconds for a 45-43 victory.
    Anderson, a sophomore, was six-for-six at the free throw line during the game.  She finished with 12 points, three rebounds and led the team with four steals. 
    Senior Meg Monson was the scoring leader with 16 points.  Monson scored 14 of her points in the first half.  Algona successfully changed up their defense in the second half and limited her shot attempts.  She pulled down five rebounds.
    “Defensively they had a post that was finishing her shots tonight and we were more focused on their biggest scoring threat, Emily Bell.  She is one of the top scores in the league and we felt that if we control her we have a good chance of winning the game,” said Clear Lake Coach Bart Smith.  “Logan Anderson and Meg Monson did a nice job defending her all night.  I was alright having someone else score for them.  For those two to defend that well on Emily and still be the two top scorers for the night shows a lot of toughness out of them.”
    Shelby Schindler was Algona’s top scorer with 19 points.
    Megan Loux contributed eight points to the Lions.  Kristen Hewett scored three and led the team on the boards with eight rebounds.  Trudy Peterson, Hannah Bartlett and Kaitlyn Pitzen each had two points for Clear Lake.
    Clear Lake held a slim 15-14 lead after one quarter, then out-scored the visitor 13-8 for a 28-22 halftime score.  The two teams were even in the third, but then Garrigan rallied 10-4 in the final period to send the game to overtime.
    “It’s nice to win a close game like that against a quality team,” added Coach Smith.  “These close games that we are winning is giving us great game situation experience.  These games are great for building confidence for our team.
CL 60, C-G 48
    The Lions started a bit slow, but got a spark and then caught fire for a 60-48 win over Clarion-Goldfield Friday, Jan. 27. - Read More Via e-Edition