Coming back after losing the lead three times, once in the first half and twice in the second, and then holding off a threat in the final minute, the varsity boys continued to outperform expectations when they downed visiting Martin County West 56-53 on Monday for their third win this season.
Head coach Mike Meyer didn’t think his team would be in this position, but he knew it had a lot of promise.
“We had a lot of depth and guys who put the work in in the offseason, but a lot of teams can say that because most put time in the offseason. But it’s a different mentality with this group this year. Whether it is in games, at practice, in huddles or on the bench. This team is engaged. They want to win. They want to be in games.”
With four Clippers hitting double figures, it was a team effort. Carson Lyons and Brennan Kortuem each scored 15 points. Besides grabbing some key rebounds, Carter Barto (above), in his third game since rejoining the team after an injury that kept him out last season, had a dozen points off the bench.
The 6-5 senior said with this game, he came in with a better attitude than the last, and that made the difference.
“It’s good to be back and get to play and score. They aren’t starting me. They are warming me up and getting me where I need to go, and I am ok with that.”
Meyer said that last year Gabe Sullivan and Kyle Connor had to step up to do Barto’s job and started to do a good job at it.
“Each one of those guys has to find their role and their minutes. Tonight, we did a pretty good job of working the three together, and they did a good job of playing together at post. I think for Barto, he’s getting better and better every game and finding his steps again. He’s a presence.”
Blake Lyons added 11 points. Sullivan made three points.
Carson Lyons took a feed from his brother down the baseline for the game’s first basket. Kortuem put in a couple of layups, but the Mavericks kept pace and pulled ahead 10-9 after scoring outside and then inside the arc.
Blake Lyons hit the back side of two foul shots to deadlock the game at 10, but the Clippers were cold from behind the arc after that, and with a trio of threes in the mix, the Mavericks posted 14 of the next 17 points and take a 24-13 lead.
But the Mavericks inside shots started to miss, and Cleveland went to work with baskets by the Lyons brothers and Kortuem. With a Carson Lyons drive for a bucket with 1:22 to go before intermission, the Clippers tied the game at 24.
“That’s something we couldn’t have counted on last year,” Meyer said. “If we got down, we’d say ‘here we go again,’ but this year they know they have the type of team they can battle back. That’s what winning teams do. They find that grit and keep fighting.”
From behind the three-point arc, Sullivan hesitated but put up a shot that went in, and the Clippers were back in business with a 27-24 lead at the break.
“We played really good defense at the start,” said Blake Lyons. “They were hitting, and then we started fighting for screens. Bode (Bartell) was sick, but it’s nice having numbers and people we can trust to be out on the floor.”
Taking advantages on possessions after a steal and a block, the Mavericks tied the game at 35 in the second half, but Carson Lyons took an in-bounds pass up and in from the baseline to put the Clippers back in front.
Later, the Mavericks went on a 10-point run for a 47-43 advantage, but Blake Lyons drove through the lane for a bucket, Kortuem got a three to drop, and after Kortuem made a pair of freebies, the Clippers stalemated the game at 50 with 1:20 remaining.
A pair of Barto free throws put the Clippers in front by two. Carson Lyons took a Jorden Rossow pass down the baseline for a bucket and then made a pair of free shots for a 56-50 lead with 27 seconds left. With a three at 7.2 seconds, the Mavericks threatened, but the Clippers hung on for the win.
Sullivan and Kortuem made the Clippers’ only threes. Not as efficient from the free throw line as they have been, they were 16 of 27.
The Mavericks put in six threes and were 14 of 22 from the foul line.
The Clippers will have a rematch with Madelia at home tonight (Thursday). In the season opener, the Clippers beat the Blackhawks in a close 52-47 win in Madelia.
Blake Lyons takes the ball up for a basket.
Gary Mielke officiates not only basketball but football and baseball too, often at Cleveland. But before he became an official, Mielke, a St. James native, spent time in the major leagues, playing three seasons as a pitcher for the Texas Rangers. In 1989, he recorded an MLB victory against the Boston Red Sox. The losing pitcher that day was seven-time Cy Young Award winner Roger Clemens. Athletic director honored Mielke before the game by wearing a Rangers jersey with his number: 50.