Slipping after tying Faribault BA early in the second half, the varsity girls fell to the Cardinals 62-42 on Thursday.
The Clippers fired up late in the first half to pull within a point at the break but couldn’t sustain.
“That’s a game we left on the table,” said head coach Joe Remiger.
BA pulled down three offensive rebounds and put in a three for the game’s first basket. After Addi Holden put in a free throw, Keira Schipper took a long Ava Hahn assist in for a bucket for a 3-3 tie, but the Cardinals scored the next seven points.
From there, Ava Hahn stole at half court and put in a layup and followed up with a three, but the Cards kept pace. Hahn scored again, and Greta Hahn drove in for a layup.
Trailing 20-13, the Clippers showed what they are capable of when they went on spurt before the break. It started with an Ava Hahn steal and shore-to-shore trip for a layup, another Ava Hahn layup after a Lacey McCabe defensive rebound and assist and a Greta Hahn layup on her sister’s steal and assist.
The Clippers trailed by one, 20-19 at halftime.
“That push we had at the end of the first half was the energy we needed to keep going in the second half, but it never happened after that,” Remiger said.
With an Ava Hahn three, the first of two she would park in the second half, and a Greta Hahn drive through the lane for a bucket, the Clippers kept up early in the second half.
Schipper took an Ava Hahn handoff inside for a bucket, and with an Ava Hahn three, the Clippers stalemated the game at 29. But after each team traded a bucket, the Cards scored the next seven points.
G & A each put in a basket, and the Clippers made a few stray free throws, but with a three and a free throw, BA led 47-36.
Down the stretch, the Cardinals heated up from behind the arc with a quartet of threes to cruise to the victory.
With three threes and four buckets from the floor for 17 points, Ava Hahn led the effort. Greta Hahn had 15 points. All of Holden’s five points came from the free throw line. Schipper had four points, and McCabe put in a free throw.
BA put in nine threes, six more than the Clippers and were nine of 21 from the foul line. The Clippers were nine of 15 in free throw shooting.
The Clippers host Loyola tonight (Monday). Earlier in the season, they beat the Crusaders on the Fitz court 64-52.
Above: Greta Hahn leaps for a shot.
Addi Holden reaches for a block.
Ava Hahn takes the ball in for a layup after making a steal.