The Clarkson/Leigh Boys Basketball Team lost 64-57 at home to David City Friday night to close out the regular season before falling 75-35 to Fremont Bergan in the D1-3 Sub-District Semifinals from David City Aquinas Tuesday night.
The Patriots went up 15-14 after one on the Scouts before David City won the 2nd quarter 21-16 to take a 35-31 lead into the locker room.
The Scouts outscored Clarkson/Leigh 13-7 in the 3rd quarter to go up 48-38 at the end of three.
The Patriots won the 4th quarter 19-16.
Tommy McEvoy had 16 points while Daniel Beller notched 13 points and 11 rebounds, good enough for a double-double. Carter Hanel added 11 points and 10 rebounds while Jarred Novotny totaled 11 points.
The Knights jumped out to a 30-11 lead at the end of one before winning the 2nd quarter 15-10 to take a 45-21 lead into the locker room.
Bergan outscored Clarkson/Leigh 18-8 in the 3rd quarter to lead 63-30 at the end of three.
The Knights doubled up the Patriots 12-6 in the 4th quarter.
Beller had a team-high 8 points while Hanel registered 11 rebounds.
I thought Clarkson/Leigh played pretty well against David City, but Bergan proved to be very tough.
The Patriots's season ends at 7-14.
I thought Clarkson/Leigh made some nice improvements this year in winning 7 games, which equals their win total from the last two years combined.
Highlight wins came over Pender and East Butler, and throw Stanton in there as well.
What the Patriots did may not seem like a big deal, but it really is.
Clarkson/Leigh took some small steps this year towards becoming who and what they want to be, in my opinion.
Novotny and Beller each led the way with 13 points on the season averaged while McEvoy averaged 9.
Beller led the way in rebounding with 168 total rebounds while Hanel and McEvoy had 157 and 121, respectively.
The Patriots say goodbye to Beller, Douglas Pocasangre, and Travis Stanley.
The three will be missed for sure given how much they meant to Clarkson/Leigh Boys Basketball.
Key returners include Novotny, Lance Paprocki, Isaak Wiese, Hanel, Logan Schroeder, and McEvoy.
I think the future is really promising and bright for the Patriots given who all returns next year.
Beller is the only real big loss from a production standpoint, but he is a big loss nonetheless.
I think this team and program is headed in the right direction though and is going to be a force to be reckoned with in the future.
Playing the game as much as possible in the offseason is the key to even better things next year I feel.
Honing and enhancing skills and getting better at everything could go a long ways for Clarkson/Leigh, in my opinion.
The team has to get after it in the weightroom and during open gyms as well as during summer camps and in summer leagues.
I think there's a lot of potential in the returning players, and feel the Patriots can be an even better team next year than they were this year.
The Clarkson/Leigh Girls won 39-34 over Battle Creek in the C2-6 Sub-District Final from Norfolk High Thursday night.
The Bravettes went up 10-8 at the end of the 1st quarter before the Patriots outscored Battle Creek 16-2 in the 2nd quarter to take a 24-12 lead into the locker room.
The Bravettes won the 3rd quarter 12-9 to make it a 33-24 game at the end of three in favor of Clarkson/Leigh.
Battle Creek won the 4th quarter 10-6.
Kaegan Held led the way with 13 points while Hannah Kasik had 10 points and 11 rebounds, good enough for a double-double. Ashlynn Novotny added 8 points and 10 rebounds while Beth Wiese notched 7 points.
Head Coach Matt Murren says Held, Kasik, and Novotny each played a big role in the game. "Kaegan, Ashlynn, and Hannah are key players for us. Kaegan is our point guard and handles the ball a majority of the time. She gets us into our offense and is our floor general. We loved seeing her knock down a key 3 pointer at the beginning of the 2nd half. Ashlynn is a player who can do it all. She can score it, pass it and board it. She played a heck of a game and ended with 8 points, 10 boards and 5 steals. It felt like she was everywhere on Thursday. Her and Kaegan really feed off of each other and handle our guard positions so well. Hannah just battles. She is constantly working to find open spots, find the ball off the glass, and put herself in position to score. She ended up with a double-double against Battle Creek with 10 points and 11 rebounds. Her tireless work ethic and athletic ability allow her to play so well in the post."
Murren on the win."Thursday's Sub-District Final was a 32 minute battle. Our kids understand that we have to play hard for 32 minutes and bring the defensive energy the whole time. We have had numerous close games this year that have built our character and will to keep fighting in those close games. Thursday was no different as it took a great defensive game to contain their explosive, fast paced offense. Our regular season schedule is tough and that schedule sets us up for games like against Battle Creek when you have to grind one out."
Clarkson/Leigh (21-8) takes on Blue Hill (20-4) in the C2-8 District Final from York High School Friday night.
The Bobcats lost 65-37 to Hastings St. Cecilia in the C2-10 Sub-District Final from Adams Central on Thursday.
Murren says Blue Hill is the real deal. "Blue Hill is a great team, very experienced, and sitting at 20-4. They start 5 seniors, won state volleyball and have been to state basketball as well. They understand the moment and what it takes to get it done. They play very good defense, push in transition with their guards, and find great shots offensively at the hoop and from the perimeter. They are athletic and can put up points. They have a couple very solid posts inside, 2 guards that can shoot it, and a guard that really slashes well."
Emily Meyer and Jamie Bonifas are a couple of those players I feel.
The Bobcats are certainly a great team and program that has accomplished a lot, but so is Clarkson/Leigh.
The Patriots have come such a long ways from when these seniors were freshmen.
Murren says this is it. "It would be huge for us to be able to continue our momentum and get through sub-state. These girls have put in a tremendous amount of time and effort to put themselves in this position and a spot to pay off all that time. They believe in each, believe in our team, and believe in our goal. Our program has worked very hard to put ourselves where we are and we are ready to embrace and attack the moment. Blue Hill is such a solid opponent. It's going to take 32 minutes of great defense and pressure to make it tough on them offensively. We cannot give them easy baskets and make them work for everything. I know our crowd is going to bring it so the atmosphere will be rocking!"
This is what the players have worked their entire lives for. All the hard work, blood, sweat, and tears growing up and in the offseason and during the hot days of summer is for this moment.
Clarkson/Leigh has a Black Out Theme for the game too, and I expect York High School to be one loud place Friday night.
The Patriots have found ways to win close games against tough teams all year, and will need to take that experience into Friday night's game.
Every girl growing up dreams of one day playing in the State Basketball Tournament.
The girls have already been there for Volleyball, and are now one game away from making it in Basketball.
Clarkson/Leigh has to go out there and let it rip, and leave everything out on the floor.
Tip-off is scheduled for 6:00 p.m.
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