VS. CLEAR LAKE Perhaps Tuesday night proved the reason why Clear Lake calls themselves the Lions. The game definitely exceeded expectations Tuesday night, as from the first tip-off to the final whistle, the Lions and Cowboys endured an extremely tight race for first. It was the Cowboys who claimed victory over the Lions…again.
The 12-1 Cowboys, at the time, entered the first quarter scoring 14 points over the Lions. However, this was not enough for the Cowboys to grasp the lead. Down by one point, the first quarter concluded 15-14. The second quarter was its own story. The Cowboys responded powerfully to the Lions, as they drilled 12 points while conceding only four. As half-time arrived, the Cowboys were up 26-19. The game was far from over, however.
After a stellar performance from the CGD’s dance team during the half-time break, it was back to business. The opening of the second half favored the Lions while the Cowboys saw struggle yet again. Scoring only six points, the Cowboys let up 11 points as the Lions took over the lead before the start of the final quarter. The intensity, and a rollercoaster of a game, carried on to the final quarter as the score stood at 32-30 with the Cowboys in the lead. All the excitement and emotions were crammed into the final eight minutes of the game–though it was very possible the fourth quarter wouldn’t mark the “final” minutes of the game. The game came down to the very final seconds as the Cowboys had just gained a one point lead at 38-37. Then, as usual, SR Jacob Moore sank a crucial three pointer with only 50 seconds left, increasing their lead to 41-37. Even with 50 seconds left, there was plenty of game left. The Lions made a slight comeback with 18.8 seconds left as they added three points to the board. With 18 seconds left, the Cowboys were only up by one point. The match then concluded with controversial calls from the referees, as the game ended 46-40 with the Cowboys on top. The Clear Lake supporters were…not happy. Roaring “that’s terrible!” and even heckling the referees with some angry supporters slightly emerging a few steps onto the court, the Clear Lake supporters might just have given reason to their name as the Lions. A plastic bottle was even thrown from the stands of the Clear Lake supporters.
In the end, it wasn’t the Clear Lake Lions roaring with victory…it was the CGD Cowboys as they gained their 13th victory this season and second over Clear Lake. Not only was the match itself a competitive one, but a monumental achievement as-for the first time-the Cowboys have beaten the Lions twice in a single season.
Next for the Cowboys were fellow conference competitors, Iowa Falls-Alden Cadets. The Cadets hosted the Cowboys on Friday, Jan. 28, at 7:30 PM.
Stats vs Clear Lake RBD AST STL BLK PTS Jaxon Carpenter 8 2 2 0 15 Coady Olson 4 1 0 0 7 Aidan Harrington 2 1 1 0 4 Cael Chase 0 0 0 0 2 Connor State 7 3 3 0 9 Tyson Berning 0 0 0 0 0 Nevan Foss 1 0 0 0 0 Landon Olson 1 1 0 0 0 Jacob Moore 4 0 0 0 9 Janosch Rösner 1 0 0 0 0 VS. IOWA FALLS-ALDEN What a week for CGD basketball.
Battling Clear Lake rivals, and now Iowa Falls rivals, the Cowboys endured a thrilling-yet overwhelming-week of competition. With the girls losing by two, the Cowboys enjoyed sweet revenge as they WON by two points thanks to a crucially made three pointer from Coady Olson right at the buzzer. Olson helped the Cowboys secure their 14th win this season, ending the game 52-50.
The first quarter saw thrilling performances from both teams though the Cowboys fell short by two points at the end of the first quarter. The Cadets won the first quarter, scoring 13 while the Cowboys gained 11. However, the second quarter belonged to the Cowboys as they scored 12 points while the Cadets added nine. The Cowboys were up 23-22 at half-time, though the game proved to be anybody’s with such a tight race.
The Cowboys approached another struggling opening quarter as they fell short three points behind the Cadets, who scored 16 points while the Cowboys scored 13. Down 38-36, the Cowboys needed to mirror the second quarter to guarantee a win over the Cadets. And so they did. With just 1:35 left, Cael Chase delivered his ninth point for the Cowboys, capturing the lead with the score at 47-46. The Cadets, however, responded shortly after as they then ripped the lead out of the Cowboys hands with the score at 48-47. But the Cowboys had the final say in that game. With 49 seconds left on the clock, Connor State responded to the response from the Cadets, making the score 49-48. Even that wasn’t enough. With 5.7 seconds left the Cadets stole the lead again with the score then at 50-49. The constant sinking of two’s grew quite repetitive. Someone had to seal the deal. With Jaxon Carpenter carrying the ball, ready to deliver the ball back into play, the clock halted at five seconds. The Cowboys knew they needed points with just a few seconds remaining. That’s when Coady Olson stood up with 4.8 seconds remaining. As the ball was sent to his hands, the senior sank his 11th point of the night, ending the drought of three pointers right at the buzzer!
Landon Olson described the finale of the matchup against the Cadets, explaining, “We were in a timeout with about five seconds left on the clock. Coach looked at all of us and pretty much told us it was make or break time right now. He told us that we came too far to just let it go right now. We drew up a play and broke the huddle.” Olson further described the last seconds of the match, explaining, “We all knew that if one person was going to take that last shot it was more than likely going to be Coady because this isn’t the first time he has made a last second shot to win a game. Last year at Pocahontas he drilled a corner three to win the game as well!” Olson also went into detail on the emotions of the team when Coady guaranteed the win for the Cowboys, saying, “When I saw him throw that shot up, I knew it was going in. When that happened and the clock hit zero, we all leaped off the bench and people from the crowd came on the court to celebrate with us!” Olson also explained the hype and celebrations from the team in the locker rooms, saying, “We listened to Coach B. tell us how we never gave up and kept fighting till the end of that battle. That’s what’s special about this team! We all fight until the end,” Olson ended it with confidence, as he finished, “even if everyone else has given up on us!”
Another thrilling match for the Cowboys took place that Friday night. With hopes for another thrilling matchup, but definitely more of a guaranteed and comfortable lead, the Cowboys travelled to West Hancock where they battled the Eagles on Monday, Jan. 31, at 7:30 PM.
STATS vs West Hancock RBD AST STL BLK PTS Jaxon Carpenter 1 1 1 0 0 Coady Olson 0 3 1 0 11 Landon Olson 4 0 0 0 0 Cael Chase 1 2 0 0 9 Connor State 14 3 2 0 21 Tyson Berning 3 0 0 0 0 Aidan Harrington 1 1 1 1 2 Jacob Moore 1 2 1 0 8 Janosch Rösner 2 0 0 0 1 Carson Nesheim 0 0 0 0 0 sports@wrightcountymonitor.com
