After topping Nicollet for the second time this year and then avenging a loss to Granada-Huntley-Truman/East Chain/Martin Luther, the junior high Clipper girls, 2-0 in pool play, fell 14-11 in a defensive battle against Martin County West for second place in Saturday’s six-team Valley Conference tournament.
The Clippers hosted the competition.
The Clippers never had the lead in the championship game. MCW took the jump ball in for a bucket. Harley Samuelson rebounded and scored for a 2-2 tie, but the Mavericks capped off an eight-point run with a basket from behind the arc. Emmy Miller bagged a jumper from the paint, but the Clippers trailed 10-4 at the break.
The Clippers upped their intensity in the second half. Blair Voit sunk a shot from a distance for the first basket after halftime. The Mavericks responded with a couple of inside baskets, but it was all Clippers the rest of the way.
Brylee Kortuem stole and assisted a Voit bucket, and Lily McMillen sunk the back end of two foul shots. The buzzer put a dagger in the rally even though Voit dumped in an interior basket just before it sounded.
Coach Rennardo Lampley said starting the game against MCW like they finished would have made the difference.
“Our defense was stagnant and slow at the beginning and then amped up toward the end to wake our offense up.”
In their season opener, Cleveland split with visiting MCW: the seventh-grade Clippers won while the eighth-grade team lost. For the tournament, the MCW and Cleveland, the only schools with enough players for two teams, combined their rosters.
With six points, Voit led the effort. Samuelson and Miller each added a basket. McMillen chipped in a free basket.
Off target in all but one of 10 free throw attempts in the second half as well as their one try in the first half, the Clippers could have won the game from the charity stripe. The Mavs were three of 13 from the foul line.
Cleveland 26, Nicollet 22
The Valley rivals were neck and neck for most of the game. With the Raiders up 21-18, Sophia Walser corralled a loose ball under the rim and threw it up for a bucket to start a 6-point Clipper burst. Kenzie Kortuem grabbed an inbound pass and scored, and Voit cashed in on a Lily McMillen assist to put the Clippers in front 24-2.
They never looked back from there.
The first half ended in a stalemate. After a Voit bucket and a Kenzie Kortuem free throw, the Clippers trailed 4-3. Kenzie Kortuem scored again from inside, and, after a trio of Clipper offensive rebounds, Addison Sandhurst lobbed in a bucket, and the Clippers led 7-4.
The Raiders spurted for five points after, but the Clippers deadlocked the game 9-9 when Walser cruised down the baseline and sunk a jump shot. With a pair of Harley Samuelson baskets, the first a layup and the second a basket from the baseline on a Kenzie Kortuem assist, the Clippers went ahead by four, but as the half drew to a close, the Raiders put in a pair of baskets to knot the game 13-13 at the intermission.
Kenzie Kortuem put in the second of two foul shots to start the second half. Annistyn Dauk dropped in a bucket, but with the Raiders kept up and then put in a free shot for a 17-16 advantage.
Miller scored for the Clippers, but the Raiders scored the next two baskets for the 21-18 advantage.
Down the stretch, the Raiders made the second of two foul shots before Samuelson rebounded and scored to put the finishing touches on the triumph.
Samuelson and Kenzie Kortuem each totaled six points. Voit and Walser each added four points. Sandhurst, Dauk and Miller each contributed a basket. The Clippers made two of five free throws while the Raiders were three of seven.
Cleveland 16, GHEC/T/ML 9
Brienna Groebner bagged a jumper for the game’s first basket. Kylie Wobbrock waltzed through an open slot in the lane and scored. After Kenzie Kortuem hauled in an offensive rebound and put it through the net times two, the Clippers found themselves in front 8-0.
On a steal and an ensuing three, the Jaguars finally got on the board. Their next trip down the floor, they scored again to trim their halftime deficit to three, 8-5.
The Clippers posted the first four points of the second half. Sandhurst took an inbounds throw in for a bucket, Brylee Kortuem stole, drove the floor and scored on a layup, and the Clippers got an automatic two points when the Jags got tagged for a technical foul for a shove after Kortuem’s basket. With a Samuelson bucket from the baseline, the Clippers were in front 16-5
Only allowing two buckets from there, the Clippers kept the Jaguar offense off balance the rest of the way and held on for the win.
Kenzie Kortuem scored four points. Groebner, Wobbrock, Sandhurst and Brylee Kortuem each chipped in a bucket. The Clippers went to the foul line once and missed while the Jags missed all four of their free throws.
GHEC/T/ML went on to beat Conger/Glenville-Emmons for third place Mankato Loyola was also in the tournament.
The Clippers are back in action on Tuesday when GHEC/T/ML returns to town. On Friday, they will get a chance to avenge their loss to MCW when they travel to Sherburn.
Above: The Clippers with their second-place hardware. They are, from L-R, front row: Brylee Kortuem, Brienna Groebner, Addie Sandhurst, Wobbrock, Lily McMillen, Bella Baker and Charlie Gair. Back row: coach Rennardo Lampley, Sophia Walser, Kenzie Kortuem, Harley Samuelson, Emily Baker, Blair Voit, Annistyn Dauk and Emmy Miller.
Annistyn Dauk winds up for a pass as a Nicollet defender keeps watch.
Sophia Walser coils for an interior shot during the game against Nicollet.
Kenzie Kortuem looks for an open teammate as Nicollet defender looks for a steal.
Emily Baker readies for a shot as a GHEC-Truman/Martin Luther defender makes contact.
Blair Voit twists around a Brylee Kortuem screen during the game against MCW.
Emmy Miller stoops for a loose ball as an MCW player reaches for it too.
Addie Sandhurst looks for a teammate inside as an MCW defender keeps watch.
Brienna Groebner winds up for a shot during the championship game against MCW.
Bella Baker races the ball down court during the game against MCW.
Brylee Kortuem regains her balance after absorbing a bump from an MCW defender.
Kylie Wobbrock runs the ball into the lane as an MCW defender reaches for the ball.