Lions are fierce in season finale win at Mason City

The Clear Lake boys roared back from their only defeat of the season by trouncing Mason City, 86-57, Tuesday, Feb. 18.  The Lions, who dropped to fourth in the Class 3A rankings after a loss to Charles City days earlier, finished up their regular season schedule with a record of 20-1.

“I thought we were more focused going into the game than we have been all year,” said Coach Kevin Kahler.  “We got off to a good start early and played well all the way through.  We executed offensively, and our zone was effective.  We put them on the free throw line more than I would have liked, but other than that, I can’t find anything that we didn’t do a good job of.  All in all, it was a very good night for us.”

That focus was evident early, as the Lions jumped out to a 21-10 lead after one quarter and kept the pressure on in the second to lead 41-20 at the half.  An even bigger third quarter had Clear Lake up 67-36 after three periods.

The Lions were shooting with confidence and drained 13 three-pointers in the game.  Spencer Davidson put in five treys on his way to a 23 point performance.  

Three other Lions also scored in double figures.  Davis Dieken put in 15 points, Brock Adams had 13, and Matt Stephany scored 11.   Stephany and JJ Theobald pulled down seven rebounds, finishing just behind Pete Swenson, who had eight.  Theobald had seven points and Swenson scored five.

The remainder of the Lions’ scoring was provided by Chase Lester with four points, Jack Abbas and Garrett Kunzman each with three, and Jake Iverson finished with two points.

The Lion defense seemed to frustrate the Mohawks and fouls on the home team forced them to adapt.  Mason City’s leading scorer, Matt Meyer, was forced to take a seat on the bench after he picked up two fouls in the first two minutes of the game.

The Mohawks shot a dismal 18/56 from the field and 19/34 from the free throw line.  The Lions, meanwhile, shot 50 percent in the game.