Lions cruise past Oelwein 73-52 in District opener

    The Clear Lake boys sputtered a bit at the start, then cruised past Oelwein in the first round of Class 3A District 5 post season play.  The Lions (12-10) advanced to play Waverly-Shell Rock Thursday at Mason City with their 73-52 victory.
    “It was a slow start, but once we settled in we played well,” said Coach Kevin Kahler.  “We did what we needed to do.  It was a good effort.”

    The Lions broke the game open in the second quarter, outscoring Oelwein 26-8 for a 38-17 halftime lead.  Lion defensive pressure helped to produce 13 turnovers in the first half.
    “I was concerned that we needed to stay focused in the second half and we did that,” said Coach Kahler. 
    By the end of three the lead had been extended to 23 and grew to as much as 30 in the final quarter. 
    The Lions’ scoring was paced by Gavin Sheakley and Ozzie Adams with 14 apiece.  Coach Kahler noted Sheakley was knocking down the shot that the Oelwein defense was giving by playing a triangle and two defense.  “He stepped up and took the shot.  He shot the ball well,” said the coach.
    Spencer Davidson had 11 points, with nine coming on three-pointers.  Tanner Tusha, Chase Crosby and Bryson Hamilton each had nine points.
    Number two ranked Waverly-Shell Rock was a 58-30 winner over Charles City in the opening round on the other side of the Class 3A bracket.  Coach Kahler said his coaching staff and team would begin preparing immediately for Thursday’s game.  Although they did not play in the regular season, it was the Go-Hawks which eliminated the Lions from the tournament last year in a Sub-State final played in the McLeod Center on the University of Northern Iowa campus.
    “We know what it’s like to play at Mason City and it’s an advantage to not have to make a long trip, but it’ll be a tough game,” he said.  “We’ll have to be ready to play.”

CL 70, Algona 66
    The Lions ended the regular season with a hard-fought 70-66 victory over Algona Tuesday, Feb. 15. 
    It was the conference finale for both teams.  Clear Lake ended the North Central Conference schedule with a 10-8 record, good for fifth place in the league.  Algona was 7-11 in the- Read More Via e-Edition