Before the varsity game on Thursday, the only sign that Blake Lyons was suffering from an injury was the orange 5-gallon pail of ice water on the bleachers beside him.
Rolling his ankle in practice the day before, Lyons was in ton of pain, but stoic on and off the court, the sophomore doesn’t show much emotion, win, lose or hurting.
At the end of Cleveland, 69, Madelia 66 though, Lyons (above) couldn’t contain his smile. After all, the win snapped a 26-game losing streak. It was the first victory since the Clippers struggled to beat Immanuel Lutheran a year ago for their only win last season.
It was the first boys varsity basketball triumph in the new gym.
“It’s awesome,” said Lyons, who contributed 16 points. “What Mikey (head coach Mike Meyer) said before the game just pumped us all up: ‘Let’s go out and play for Blake. Play for your team, play for your school, play for everyone.’”
“He told me before the game the pain level was nine out of 10, and that is one of the toughest kids I’ve been around,” said Meyer. “I think the team realized the pain Blake was pushing through and wanted to be there for him.”
The Clippers, coming off narrow 66-63 defeat by visiting Nicollet on Tuesday, jumped out to a 10-0 lead and maintained a dozen point advantage for most of the game.
“We came out ready to play,” Lyons said. “We've never started a game that hot. We had a couple of rough spots on defense, but we played really well on transition and everything. All of us wanted it tonight.”
But Madelia caught up late.
After Kyle Connor drove the baseline for a basket, the Clippers were up 64-55 with 2:30 left. Lyons made an easy layup, but as they had done all night, the Blackhawks kept in the game with threes, this time a pair to pull within five, 66-61.
“They were on fire, and they got back into it with their three pointers,” Meyer said. “But we just kept digging and finding another layer under the skin.”
The Clippers turned the ball over twice, but the Blackhawks didn’t convert. After the Clippers blocked a shot, Lyons put in a free throw with 50 seconds left. Madelia pulled down an offensive rebound and scored.
“They switched to man-to-man,” Meyer said. “They started out in a zone press, but we were ready for that. They still got a few off us, but we worked on it and knew what they had. When they switched to man-to-man and hit all those threes, it kind of flustered us. We make young mistakes yet.”
With 21 seconds remaining, Jorden Rossow stepped in front of a pass, got fouled on his trip down the floor and put in the first of two free throws. The Blackhawks got flagged with a charge call but stole and posted yet another three to pull within two, 68-66 with less than five ticks left.
The Clippers could have just held the ball out of bounds and drained the clock but passed it in, a dangerous choice given the pressure situation. But they managed to secure the inbounds, and Carson Lyons, who absorbed the foul, made the first of two free shots with 0.4 seconds remaining to put the finishing touches on the triumph.
“We have been working; we have been in some games but just haven’t been able to capitalize,” Meyer said. “Getting this win tonight just shows how hard work pays off. We lost to this team by 30 plus the last time we played them, and to come out and get that lead and keep battling. They’re great teammates. They deserved it.”
Carson Lyons' jumper from near the foul line was the game’s first basket. He rebounded and scored for the next two points as well, and brother Blake pulled down an offensive rebound under the rim, took a quick look out but tossed it up and in.
Gabe Sullivan scored on a layup, and with a Rossow free basket, earned for being on the brunt end of an intentional foul, and a Sullivan free throw, the Clippers were suddenly up 10 to nothing.
“Being young, I think a lot of times they wait to see what the other team will bring,” Meyer said. “But they wanted this one. As soon as they got in a couple of buckets, they weren’t going to turn around and look back.”
Earning a 10-second call with their full-court press, the Blackhawks got possession back after turning the ball over out of bounds and scored from inside.
But with open players deep inside, the Clippers exploited Madelia’s press too,
Kale Kelley took a Rossow handoff in for a layup, and Sullivan made a layup after Carson Lyons stepped in front of a Madelia pass, and the Clippers were up 14-2.
Madelia put in a two and a three, but Blake Lyons was there to get the rebound and score when brother Carson’s three caromed off the rim. Connor rebounded and scored. Carson Lyons' next attempt from behind the arc went through the net, and brother Blake hauled in an offensive rebound and scored for a 23-9 Clipper advantage.
All alone under the iron, Sullivan took a long Carson Lyons pass in for a basket. Carson Lyons made a layup, and Connor, in front of the rim, juked the defender behind him and then went up for a basket.
Madelia went to the distance shot, throwing five threes in the mix for their next 15 points, but Kelley made a pair of free shots, Sullivan scored from inside, Blake Lyons stole and drove from coast to coast for a layup, and the Clippers led 36-29 at the break.
Madelia posted the first bucket of the second half, but Blake Lyons plopped in a three from the corner. The Blackhawks scored twice more from three-point land, but Carson Lyons grabbed a loose ball and put it in for a layup, Kelley made an inside jump shot, and Blake Lyons drove inside to maintain a 47-37 Clipper lead.
Later, Carson Lyons stole and drove the floor for a layup, Kelley assisted Carson Lyons’ baseline jumper, Sullivan grabbed a rebound that bounced near the foul line and put it in for a bucket, and the Clippers led 54-40.
Madelia scored the next nine points, but Rossow, on the floor with four fouls, drove through the paint, Connor hit a pair of free shots, and Carson Lyons faked out a defender under the rim for a score. Connor took a long pass in for a layup to put the Clippers up front 62-49 before Madelia put in a pair of threes.
Carson Lyons, humming now after missing much of the season as he recovered from a shattered collarbone, led the Clippers with 20 points. Sullivan added 11 points. Connor posted a dozen points. Kelley contributed six points. Rossow had four points.
The brothers Lyons each had one three. The Clippers made 11 of 17 foul shots. Madelia had 16 threes and made five of eight free shots.
The Blackhawks, rebuilding this year (think last year’s senior Ja’Sean Glover), came to town with wins against the Clippers (82-51 back on December 13) and over Nicollet twice (60-55, 59-56).
The Clippers trailed Nicollet 45-34 at the half.
In a break-out effort, Connor put in one three, seven twos and three free shots for 20 points. Also with 20, Blake Lyons had six twos, a three and five free baskets.
All of Rossow’s nine points came from three territory. Carson Lyons had a pair of twos and a three for seven points. Kelley made a bucket in each half for four total points. Sullivan put in a three.
The Clippers were eight of 14 from the foul line. The Raiders had six threes, one less than the Clippers, and were 12 of 23 in foul shooting.
In a trip to New Ulm to take on Cathedral on Friday, the Clippers fell hard, 85-33. The halftime score was 52-17.
Carson Lyons had nine points, including one three. Blake Lyons had eight points. Rossow had a pair of first-half threes for six points. Kelley had a basket in the first half for two total points. Connor had eight points.
The Clippers were four of nine from the foul line. The Greyhounds put in 10 three-point baskets and were 13 of 17 in free throw shooting.
The varsity boys will look for win two when they host non-conference Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton today (Monday).
Kyle Connor on the jump shot.
Gabe Sullivan takes aim.
Jorden Rossow goes down court as the intentional foul approaches.
Blake Lyons coils for a shot.
Kale Kelley takes the ball inside.
Carson Lyons takes the ball down the sidelines against Madelia.
Fun in the student section.
More student section.
The pep band always adds a large dose of energy and deserves at least an ounce of credit for the Clipper win.
Pep band.
It was all smiles after the win over Madelia. Holding Blake Lyons are Kale Kelley, Jorden Rossow, Kyle Connor, Gabe Sullivan and Carson Lyons.
Rich Kern presented Nathan Schmoll and Harley Connor with their Triple A nominee certificates and Madysen Seely with her ExCel nominee certificate at halftime. Carter Barto, also an ExCel nominee, was out having knee surgery.
Jorden Rossow on defense in New Ulm.