Patriot Boys and Girls Battle Aquinas Down to the Wire
The fans jump to their feet and the gym booms with excitement as the last 30 seconds of the game clock tick down slowly. When the clock finally hits zero, the Patriots have won the game!
This was the scene as Patriot girls took on David City Aquinas on January 7. The Patriots knew the Monarchs were going to be worthy opponents as they came into the match-up with a 7-2 record. The Patriots brought their A game to pull off the win.
In the first half, the Clarkson/Leigh girls lacked some of that energy and couldn’t get much going offensively. At the end of the half, the Patriots trailed 14-17.
Coming out of the half, the Patriots come out slow, but they soon caught up and didn’t look back.
Head Coach Matt Murren said, "We started out the third quarter and gave up a quick 5-0. We then got ourselves going in our press and went on a 12-2 run to close the quarter which was huge momentum as we headed into the fourth. We did a much better job of attacking gaps on that run and pushing in transition. The key is we got stops on the defensive side which allowed us to do that."
At the end of the fourth quarter, it was coming down to the wire, and sophomore, Kennedy Settje, was at the line to shoot free throws.
The bench and crowd were on the edge of their seats and swoosh it went in one after another. These free throws helped secure a 39-36 Patriot win.
“After the first half we came out with lots of energy and locked down defensively. We did just enough to get the win,” said Kennedy Settje.
“The team we have just battles and continues to push and fight. I was extremely proud of the plays we made at the end of the game and the emotion our team showed!" Murren added.
This brings the Patriot girls’ record to 8-3
Next up, the boys were ready to take on the Monarchs. This game was no different from the girls’, with a nail-biting ending.
Aquinas took a slight lead after the first quarter, but the Patriots responded the second quarter.
At the half, the score was 27-28 with the Patriots down. The Patriots came out of the half with energy, ready to go.
The whole fourth quarter, everybody was on the edge of their seats cheering on the Clarkson/Leigh boys.
Unfortunately, the Patriots fell short with a final score of 47-49.
Head coach Jeff Bachman said, “I was really proud of how hard the boys played. They battled for four quarters against a really solid team. We unfortunately just didn’t make enough plays late to get the W.”
This brings the Patriot boys’ record to 3-7 for the season so far.
Clarkson/Leigh Girls vs. David City Aquinas
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
Clarkson/Leigh 6 8 12 13 39
Aquinas 9 8 7 12 36
(points, rebounds, assists, steals)
Ashlynn Novotny—6, 5, 5, 4; Kim Stodola—7, 2, 0, 1; Kennedy Settje—6, 2, 2, 0;
Reagan Settje—2, 1, 0, 0; Bailey Lemburg—4, 0, 1, 0; Cassidy Hoffman—10, 8, 1, 2;
Alissa Kasik—2, 0, 4, 0; Kayden Schumacher—2, 2, 0, 0;
Clarkson/Leigh Boys vs. David City Aquinas
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
Clarkson/Leigh 11 16 12 8 47
Aquinas 11 16 10 11 49
(points, rebounds, assists, steals)
Lance Paprocki—10, 4, 4, 2; Jarred Novotny—18, 7, 1, 1; Eli Hays—2, 3, 2, 0;
Kyle Kasik—2, 3, 2, 0; Carter Hanel—13, 12, 0, 1; Mitch Beeson—2, 0, 0, 0;
Trevor Zulkoski—0, 1, 0, 0;