Clutch down the stretch
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By MATT PFIFFNER
S-T sports editor
OSCEOLA — Clarke made more clutch plays than Creston in the final minute here Monday night and that was the difference in a 52-47 Indian win.
The Panthers continue to play well against tough opposition, but are still searching for that signature win. Creston fell to 4-8 on the season, and adds this defeat to tight losses against ranked Kuemper Catholic (51-50) and Lewis Central (37-32) squads.
The Indians remained undefeated at home and improved to 11-2 for the season, with the lone losses coming against Carlisle and Class 1A second-ranked Bedford in back-to-back road games.
Clarke coach Doug McAnelly knew his team was going to have trouble with a Panther squad that is much better than its record shows.
“Tried to explain that to the kids today...tough league and they’ve won three out of four games since Christmas and that only loss was to Carroll Kuemper. Good ball club. I knew we’d have our hands full,” he said. “The first half was extremely tough. We kept it even third quarter and fourth quarter I thought we played really well and made some key steals and free throws when we needed to.”
Tight finish
Clarke took a 39-37 lead into the fourth quarter, but the Panthers tied the game on an Audrey Bolinger bucket and took a 41-39 lead on a pair of Madison Frain free throws.
Libby Bemis nailed a 3-pointer — the only one of the game for Clarke — to put the Indians back on top and Kylar McCann added a bucket for a 44-41 Clarke lead with 3:15 left in the game.
Creston drew closer on a pair of Bolinger free throws, but Sarah Pate for Clarke responded with a pair of free throws of her own when Panther senior point guard Katlin Briley fouled out with 2:45 remaining in the contest.
After a steal by Chelcee Downing — who replaced Briley — Frain kncoked down a baseline jumper to make it a one-point game again at 46-45.
Clarke’s Alayna Diveney went to the free throw line twice in the next 40 seconds and made the front end both trips to give the Indians a 48-45 lead with 26 seconds left.
Bolinger stepped up again and delivered a bucket on a short jumper to make it 48-47.
“She needs to be aggressive offensively and she was for the most part tonight,” Creston coach Larry McNutt said of Bolinger.
Creston was forced to foul and Indian Kacey Klemesrud calmly stepped to the line and swished a pair of free throws for a 50-47 Indian lead with 13 seconds left in the contest.
Diveney delivered the defensive play of the game moments later when she forced a jump ball by the Panther basket with the possession arrow favoring the Indians. Klemesrud was fouled again with a second left on the clock and added two more free throws to clinch the win.
“Free throws were the difference in the game,” McNutt said. “Early in the fourth we go 1-for-5 at the line. We’re up one and have a chance to be up five or six, but we couldn’t make a free throw. And they made their free throws down the stretch.”
The Indians finished 17-for-23 from the charity stripe, while the Panthers were 7-for-12.
The Panthers led 14-12 at the end of the first quarter and took a 25-23 lead into halftime. The Indians outscored Creston 29-22 in the second half.
“We didn’t play very good defensively tonight. You don’t play very good defense against a good team, you’re not going to win,” McNutt said. “It’s disappointing, because I thought we were better than them.”
Bolinger finished the night with 16 points, five rebounds and three assists and Frain added 15 points and grabbed a team-high 11 rebounds.
Klemesrud led the Indians in victory with 15 points, five rebounds, two assists and three steals. McCann added 14 points and three steals, while Diveney had nine points and Pate added eight.
The Indians look to take a big step toward repeating as South Central Conference champions when they travel to Eddyville-Blakesburg Friday night. Clarke is a perfect 7-0 in league action, while the Rockets have dropped a pair of SCC contests.
McAnnely has been pleased with the play of the Indians in the SCC to this point.
“So far. But we have to remind them there are still games left and we hope we don’t stub our toe,” he said. “Going to Eddyville will be a tough test. We get that one and I’ll feel a lot better.”
CLARKE (52) — Kacey Klemesrud 15, Kylar McCann 14, Alayna Diveney 9, Sarah Pate 8, Libby Bemis 3, Kimberly Eddy 3. Totals — 17 17-23 52. FG shooting — 17-52 (32.7 percent). 3-point goals — 1-6 (Bemis 1). Steals — 10 (Klemesrud 3, McCann 3). Rebounds — 17 (Klemesrud 5, Diveney 4). Blocked shots — 5 (McCann 2, Diveney 2) Turnovers — 12. Team fouls — 9. Fouled out — none.
CRESTON (47) — Audrey Bolinger 16, Madison Frain 15, Katlin Briley 6, Maddie Haines 6, Brianna Maitlen 2, Natalie Mostek 2. Totals — 19 7-12 47. FG shooting — 19-50 (38 percent). 3-point goals — 2-7 (Haines 2). Rebounds — 30 (Frain 11, Haines 5, Bolnger 5, Mostek 4). Assists — 10 (Haines 2, Maitlen 2, Mostek 2). Steals — 10 (Bolinger 3, Briley 2, Haines 2, Maitlen 2). Blocked shots — 2 (Maitlen 1, Bolinger 1). Turnovers — 17. Team fouls — 19. Fouled out — Briley.
Clarke — 12 23 39 52
Creston — 14 25 37 47
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