March 19, 2024

Lady Indians breeze past Pleasantville

PLEASANTVILLE — Clarke had four players finish in double figures scoring, as the Lady Indians defeated Pleasantville here Monday, 62-47.

"It's the first time this year we've had four girls in double figures," head coach Eric Zoske said. "When you can get a spread of success on the offensive end, it makes life a little bit easier for you."

Libby Bemis had a monster game for the Lady Indians. Bemis recorded a double-double with 20 points and 17 rebounds. Devon Carson added 15 points with eight rebounds and five assists.

Carley Robins scored 11 points with seven boards and Maddi Heath finished with 10 points and five assists.

"Good to see the girls have confidence," Zoske said. "We got them out of their game plan. They started in a zone and we got 18 quick points in that first quarter."

The Lady Indians finished the game with 16 assists compared to only 12 turnovers.

Zoske said he would have liked to have been a little better defensively in the second half.

"I would have liked to have a few more stops defensively in the second half," he said. "We were up by 15 at halftime and we won by 15. Would have liked to see a few more stops, but we can fix that."

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Clarke suffered a 64-48 loss at Eddyville-Blakesburg on Friday.

"We lost, but that was my favorite game of the year," Zoske said. "It was a tough game. There were 35 fouls in that game. Both teams playing hard."

Zoske said for the first time this year, he felt like his girls fought 100 percent to win the game.

"They brought crazy intensity," he said. "It was fun to watch. We didn'g quite pull the win out, but it was probably the most successful game we've had. Take out the scoreboard and it was our most successful game all year."

Eddyville-Blakesburg entered the game with just four losses on the year, two of which came to Class 4A schools.

For the second year in a row, the trip to Eddyville came with a head-on collision resulting in an injury to a Clarke player.

This time, it was Vanessa Bakley who took the brunt of the hit. Zoske said she does not have a concussion, but missed the Pleasantville game because she was still feeling the effects of the hit.

"Still just a little shaky," Zoske said. "She'll be day-to-day."

Libby Bemis led the Indians with 22 points on 4-of-6 shooting from behind the 3-point arc and 8-of-10 shooting from the free throw line.

Carley Robins scored nine points and knocked down two more 3-pointers. Sophomore Baylie Balcaen scored six points and grabbed a team-high 13 rebounds, including eight offensive rebounds. Maddi Heath chipped in six points with four steals.