Patriots Head to Lincoln!
Girls’ Basketball Clinches Tourney Berth for First Time in Program History!
The lady Patriots were on a roll as they entered into post-season district basketball, having won 13 of their last 15 games, and were feeling pretty confident about their chances to make a run at the state tourney.
This momentum carried over into their two sub-district games as well as their sub-state game, coming out as the top team in all three and qualifying for the Girls’ C-2 State Basketball Tournament in Lincoln for the first time in Patriot program history!
On Tuesday February 18th, the Patriots started their post-season run as the #1 team in their subdistrict against Lutheran High Northeast, Stanton, Madison, and Howells-Dodge.
After Stanton defeated Madison in the bunny-bracket game, the Patriots faced them for the third time in their last six games.
Starting off slow and maybe a little bit nervous, the Patriots played the Mustangs pretty close in the first quarter, but broke away before halftime. Going into the locker room, Clarkson- Leigh was up 16-5.
After a little halftime break and some words from the coaches, the Patriots were fired up and ready to play. The nerves were gone and some more momentum was brought onto the court. It proved to be another solid offensive half for the Patriots, as they scored 18, but defense was really the ticket to the win, as they held the Mustangs to only 5 points the entire second half.
The final score was 34-10 with sophomore Kennedy Settje the high scorer with 12 points.
Senior Ashlynn Novotny felt the Patriots took care of business against Stanton.
“We all knew Stanton was going to give us their best shot even though we beat them twice already,” Novotny said. “We had to come prepared and focused to secure another win against them.”
The next opponent on the Patriots’ list was the Howells- Dodge Jaguars. Both teams were ready to put everything they had left into this game on Thursday, the 20th. The score was close at halftime, the Patriots up by two from a quick shot by sophomore, Kennedy Settje before the buzzer. Back and forth scoring from both teams resulted in a very close second half.
In the end, the Patriots pulled out the victory by two points with a few seconds to spare, winning 41-39. Just like the previous year, the lady Patriots were on to the Sub-State round, but this time they were going to be ready to give anything it would take.
On Friday February 28, the #14-ranked Patriots prepared to take on the #3-ranked Guardian Angels Central Catholic Blue Jays. After a week of practice and preparation, the Patriots were ready and confident when they stepped on the court at 5:10 in Fremont for warmups.
As the Patriots were warming up, fans from all around made their way into the gym of the Fremonth High School, and by tip-off the entire premises were packed. The student section was decked out in jerseys and was ready to cheer loud and proud for their favorite team.
Nerves took over for the Patriots in the first few minutes of the game, as they allowed the Blue Jays to get up 8-0, but these soon subsided and were replaced with a desire to reach the state tourney. An offensive spark from junior Kayden Schumacher helped the Patriots climb back into the game.
In the second quarter the Patriots had the Blue Jays where they wanted them as they went into the locker room, 17-22 with momentum on their side.
The next half was definitely filled with excitement. The Patriots were going to throw every last punch to beat the Blue Jays. Outscoring GACC by 6 in the second half was key to the Patriots very close, but also very rewarding win.
After a series of free throws, GACC was down by three points with a few seconds left. With no time outs, they only went for two points, and the clock expired after they made an inside shot, leaving the final score 45-44 in favor of the Pats!
Fans, players, and coaches quickly stormed the court in excitement as the Patriots upset GACC and avenged their sub-state loss from last year.
The Patriots had finally punched their ticket to Lincoln, a goal that was set way back in November.
A warm welcome home after the game by parents, fans, and community members as well as the Clarkson Fire and Rescue was greatly appreciated by players and coaches.
“We knew everything GACC was going to do, and we couldn’t be more confident going into the district final,” Novotny said. “We knew our defense was going to have to be spectacular to beat the Blue Jays, and we’d have to face adversity multiple times in the game. As the score bounced back and forth, we were able to clench a one-point lead to win the district title. Everyone accepted and performed their roles, which was huge for us to get down to Lincoln. We never quit battling and will always continue to grind, and that’s what I love about this team.”
Matt Murren, head coach of the Lady Pats, couldn’t be happier with the journey this year’s team has been on.
“This group has been an absolute joy to coach,” Murren said. “They work hard, are great teammates, and genuinely just have fun. I told them at the beginning of the season that we could be back in this spot if we work hard and peak at the correct time of the year. I'm not sure how many believed me at the time, but as the season has gone along, they have started to believe and trust in one another and it's led us to this point.”
This sub-state win brings the Patriot record to 21-5 on the season! They will be the #8 team in the state tournament. This marks the first time in history the Patriot girls’ basketball team has reached the state tournament. Leigh last made it in 2005, and Clarkson last made it in 1990. The girls are looking forward to representing the communities of Leigh and Clarkson at state!
The lady Patriots play on Thursday, March 5th at Lincoln North Star against the #1 rated Oakland-Craig Knights. Congratulations to our Patriot team, and good luck on Thursday!
Stats are as follows below.
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
Stanton 2 3 2 3 10
Clarkson/Leigh 6 10 8 10 34
Individual Stats: (points, rebounds, assists, steals)
Ashlynn Novotny: 6, 4, 4, 4; Kim Stodola: 2, 2, 0, 4; Kennedy Settje: 12, 4, 2, 4; Faith Indra: 5, 1, 0, 2; Reagan Settje: 0, 1, 0, 0; Bailey Lemburg: 0, 1, 0, 0; Cassidy Hoffman: 5, 4, 1, 3; Alissa Kasik: 0, 1, 1, 0; Kayden Schumacher: 4, 3, 0, 0; Haley Bovee: 0, 1, 0, 0,
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
Howells-Dodge12 11 7 9 39
Clarkson/Leigh 10 15 6 10 41
Individual Stats: (points, rebounds, assists, steals)
Ashlynn Novotny: 5, 3, 6, 1; Kim Stodola: 2, 2, 0, 3; Kennedy Settje: 12, 5, 1, 3; Faith Indra: 3, 0, 1, 1; Cassidy Hoffman: 9, 10, 1, 1; Alissa Kasik: 7, 1, 2, 1; Kayden Schumacher: 3, 1, 0, 1
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
GACC 12 10 6 16 44
Clarkson/Leigh 10 7 8 20 45
Individual Stats: (points)
Ashlynn Novotny: 5 ; Kim Stodola: 3 ; Kennedy Settje: 8 ; Faith Indra: 5 ; Cassidy Hoffman: 5 ; Alissa Kasik: 7 ; Kayden Schumacher: 12