Lions move record to 5-2

The Clear Lake boys played a flurry of games in their final week before the holiday break.  The Lions picked up three wins in four outings, improving to 5-2.  The team is now off until Jan. 9, when they travel to Humboldt.  The Lions and Wildcats are both 4-0 in the North Central Conference.s

CL 73, IF-A 48

The Lions pushed their win streak to four Tuesday night with a 73-48 victory over Iowa Falls-Alden.

“We were able to jump out to a quick start and pressure them into some mistakes, forcing 27 turnovers,” said Coach Jeremy Ainley.  “We were able to play a lot of guys and continue to build depth on our bench.”

Three players finished in double figures for the visiting Lions.  Matt Stephany led the way with 14 points, followed by Parker Truesdell with 12 and Devin Uhlenhopp with 11.  

There was plenty of balance, with Brock Adams and Tanner Storbeck each scoring eight, and Tamarik Lee and Thomas Storbeck each with six.  Jacob Hogan put in four points.  Alex VanderPloeg finished with three points and Justin Sholly had one.

VanderPloeg was the team leader in rebounds with seven.  

The Lions had 15 steals in the game, paced by Uhlenhopp, Lee and Stephany each with three.

“Alex VanderPloeg had a great game off the bench and Devin Uhlenhopp continues to get better and more well rounded,” added the coach.

MC 73, CL 67

Mason City proved to be too much for the Lions in a game played Thursday, Dec. 18.

“We knew going into the Mason City game that their starting five were probably the most athletic we will face all year and we needed to control the offensive glass and take care of the ball. Unfortunately we did not in the second half,” said Coach Jeremy Ainley.

After leading after the first quarter 17-14 and at the half, 32-31, they started to run out of gas in the third and fourth quarters.  

The teams traded the lead throughout the contest, but the Mohawks used a 22-16 advantage in the third quarter and a 20-19 edge in the fourth quarter to pick up the win, 73-67.

“I take full responsibility for the loss by not getting some more guys in there and resting some starters a little more,” said the coach.  “Down the stretch we had some tired turnovers and gave up some offensive rebounds that with fresher legs probably doesn’t happen.”

Clear Lake was led by Tamarik Lee, Devin Uhlenhopp and Matt Stephany, who each had 15. 

“Matt Stephany had a tremendous game with 15 points, nine rebounds, and five assists,” noted the coach.

Brock Adams and Devin Uhlenhopp also had strong games with 12 and 15 points respectively.  Adams pulled down seven rebounds and Uhlenhopp had six.  Tanner Storbeck put in eight points and Justin Sholly added two.

CL 70, C-G 44

The Lions got back in the win column Friday, Dec. 19, against Clarion-Goldfield.  The victory keeps the team perfect in the North Central Conference at 4-0.

“I thought after playing our fifth game in eight days we were a little sluggish to start and that is understandable with the workload we’ve had,” said Coach Ainley, whose team led 12-9 after one quarter.  “We were able to make some in game adjustments at the start of the second quarter and go on a 13-0 run to start the quarter.”

From there the Lions were in cruise control.  At halftime they were up 39-18.

The team was led in scoring by sophomore Thomas Storbeck, who came off the bench to score 12 points.  Brock Adams finished with 10 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists.  Matt Stephany had nine points.

“It was also nice to get some more guys some valuable time,” added the coach.  Tucker Tusha scored seven, Tanner Storbeck shot it well and scored 11, and Jacob Hogan is getting his feet under him nicely and had three points.

“Overall we are getting better and the guys have been great. We have thrown a ton of stuff at them and now we can really get even better over the holiday break. We have a tremendous staff and the guys have really bought in what we are trying to do with them. We have a ton of room to grow but I am really happy with where we are at at this point if the season.”