Three big wins for Clear Lake girls; move record to 7-4

The Clear Lake girls strung together three wins last week to improve to 7-4 overall and 4-2 in the conference.

CL 70, New Hampton 36

The week started with a dominating performance over New Hampton, of the Northeast Iowa Conference.  The Lions outscored the Chickasaws 27-14 in the second half on their way to a 70-36 victory.

The game started out evenly, with the Lions holding a slim 17-14 lead after one quarter of play.  But the second quarter was all Lions.  They rolled, 26-8, for a 43-22 halftime lead.

“It took us awhile to get into our pace that we want to play at.  Once we got that intensity and focus, we played really well,” said Lions Coach Bart Smith.

Two Lions recorded double-doubles.

Senior Lindsey Loudenburg scored 15 points and had 10 assists, while senior Katie Hewett scored 12 points and grabbed 14 rebounds.

“I thought those two played real well and were making plays for others,” said the coach. “Our defense is good right now and I’m happy with our effort on that end.”

Another senior, Kaye Faber, scored a team-high 20 points and Erin O’Tool, Kylie Bottjen and Emily Snelling each had six points.  Jessica Faber and Sidney Borrill rounded out the scoring with three and two points respectively.

CL 42, Forest City 33

Defense was the name of the game when Clear Lake hosted Forest City Thursday for a non-conference game.  The Lions limited the Indians to single digit scoring in every period for a 42-33 victory.

“We weren’t sharp at all on the offensive end of the game, but we did take care of the ball a lot better,” said Coach Smith.  “If we turned it over like we had in previous games it would have been a lot closer.”

The Lions opened with a 13-9 lead after one quarter, but a 12-0 run in the second period gave the Lions a nice cushion at the break.  

“In that quarter our offense was really good,” said Coach Smith.  “We pushed it, got to the middle of the lane, and moved the ball well, we just need more possessions like that through out the game.”

Kaye Faber and Sidney Borrill led the team with 12 and 10 points respectively.  Lindsey Loudenburg put in nine points and had seven rebounds.  Katie Hewett had eight points and eight rebounds.  Kylie Bottjen scored three points.

CL 50, Webster City 33

North Central Conference foe Webster City tested the Lions with zone defense in a game played Friday.  

“It’s been a while since we have seen a 2-3 zone and it showed.  It took us awhile to find the weak spots in the zone, but we’re able to be patient and find our groove,”said Coach Smith, whose team won the North Central Conference matchup, 50-33.

The Lions’ defense was again big part of the win and senior Katie Hewett was a factor.

“Katie is playing really hard right now,” said Coach Smith.  “She’s getting a lot of rebounds and defending the post well.  I hope some of our girls are recognizing that and follow her.”

Hewett scored 12 points in the win and grabbed nine rebounds.  She also was credited with two steals and an assist.

Kaye Faber had a team-high 13 points, followed by Sidney Borrill with eight points.  Emily Snelling came off the bench to score six.  Lindsey Loudenburg had four points, Kylie Bottjen three, and Erin O’Tool and Jessica Faber each scored two.

“Again our defense is pretty solid and I’m happy with that.  If we want to be a really good team we need to start making shots,” said Coach Smith.