The Lion regular season ended on a sour note as the Nevada Cubs came in and spoiled a perfect season for Clear Lake before the Lion boys welcomed the Boone Toreadors for the first round of district play Monday night.
Nevada 70
Clear Lake 64
It was a shocking upset last Thursday night in Clear Lake as the 20-0 Lions battled the 17-4 Nevada Cubs.
In a game that saw the Lions control the first half, including holding a 12-point lead over the Cubs, at halftime, the second half was a different story as the Cubs adjustments proved to be a challenge for the Lions. Nevada outscored the Lions 45-27.
The Lions trailed by three with 41 seconds to go but a foul put the Cubs to the charity stripe that saw the gap extend to five.
Dylan Litzen shot a three bringing the Lions to within two with just over 12 seconds to go. Another foul saw Nevada capitalize at the line, and with 2.5 seconds on the clock, the Cubs put two more in the hoop to hand the Lions their first loss of the season.
The Lions were led by Cael Stephany who scored 15 points, while Litzel was just behind with 14.
Gavin Anderson and Stephany led the teams in rebounds with six apiece.
Clear Lake 71
Boone 39
The Lions opened substate play against the Boone Toreadors on Monday, Feb. 19 and came out with a big win to move on to the next round of substate.
The Lions came out hot with 18 points to begin the first quarter, while only allowing four to the visitors. Everyone enjoyed seeing Titan Schmitt back on the court after an absence due to an injury.
The Toreadors found offense in the second quarter, but couldn’t stop the fast paced Lion offense, as multiple fouls put the ball back in the hands of Clear Lake.
Gavin Anderson led the Lion shooters, scoring 13 on the night, while Cael Stephany, who had a decent night from beyond the arc, scored 11.
The halftime score sat at 39-21. The Lions continued to grow the lead in the second half, keeping their foot on the gas, as to not be surprised like just a few days before with Nevada.
The Lions saw newer faces later in the game as Cade Dillavou scored eight points and Jaxon McIntire put up nine.
Only allowing three points in the fourth, the Lions ended with a 71-39 victory over Boone. They will host North Polk, who upset Algona, on Thursday, Feb. 22 at 7 p.m.
“We had a bad second-half at the end of the day [against Nevada] but by the end of the night we had already forgotten about it and already moved on,” said Clear Lake head coach Jeremey Ainley. “It’s on to the next game and it’s a whole new season.”
Getting new faces on the floor and using the depth was a positive point for coach Ainley.
“I thought everyone that played tonight really contributed in a positive way, whether they scored or not they all had a positive effect,” said Ainley. “I’m proud of everybody and happy to get a lot of guys in and we’ve got some guys that can play and it was good to use our depth.”
