Falcons cruise past Wolverines for 20th win
They’re banged up, but they’re still balling.
The state-ranked Clear Lake Falcons picked up their 20th win Tuesday night on the road, despite all the bumps and bruises they’ve endured this season, rolling to an 80-64 win over rival Clear Brook in District 24-6A.
“Brook played really well, we played well, so it’s super to get out of her with our 20th win,” Clear Lake coach Tommy Penders said. “We’ve been so unhealthy and injured, that we have to stay so focused.
“We did a good job of that (Tuesday).”
The Falcons (20-4, 3-1) may not be 100 percent, but their starters were out there battling. Penders was pleased with their toughness, their determination — and most of all, their shooting. They shot 57.1 percent in the second half and 54.5 (30-of-55) for the game.
“We knew we were going to get a great shot from Brook, so we had to keep our composure, space out and share the ball, which is what we’ve been doing all year,” Penders said. “Sometimes in a big game … you tend to be individual, but our kids were smart about spacing out and making the extra pass.”
Superior spacing sparked a 10-0 spurt to close the first quarter, turning a tight 9-8 lead into a 19-8 advantage.
Zaid Harris and Ajare Sanni sank consecutive jumpers, Sanni nailed a 3-pointer, and then Sanni — their leading scorer, at 23.2 points per game, and a key playmaker who averages 4.5 assists — passed up another open 3, instead passing to Casey Davis for a trey with 42.6 seconds left. Sanni finished with a game-high 26 points.
“He’s a super passer, and we have three point guards playing out there with ( Jamail) Pink, Harris and Sanni, so if we space the floor out well and our big men do a good job of finding open spaces, we’re going to get easy shots,” Penders said.
Clear Lake led 38-28 at halftime, and by as many as 15 points, at 52-37, in the third quarter, but Brook (12-11, 2-2) cut the deficit to seven, 55-48, going into the fourth, using an 11-3 run to close the quarter fueled by 3-pointers from Nathan Chuong, Shane Porter and Caleb Chapman.
Kendrick Christian scored 10 of his 20 points in the fourth but received little help, and Harris took over for the Falcons, attacking the basket for nine of his 18 points.
“(Harris) is a tough player, a simple player who tries to find a crease, and (Tuesday) he found a crease in the stretch, and he was a big part of us pulling away,” Penders said.
Nakia Johnson added 16 points for Clear Brook, and Chapman had nine points and 14 rebounds.
Clear Lake boasted five players who scored in double digits, including 10 apiece from Davis, Jeremiah Maldonado and Riley Abercrombie.