Controlling the boards and rouging up visiting Cedar Mountain with steals, the JV boys easily beat the Cougars 53-35 on Tuesday.
The Clippers were coming off a narrow 45-43 win in Wells the night before,
Tanner Simonette dashed down the baseline to the Cedar Mountain game’s first points and the start of a 9-point Clipper spurt.
After the Clippers grabbed a couple of offensive rebounds, Braeden Smith hit a layup, and Gavin Karels made his way through the paint for another basket. Alex Kortuem put an exclamation mark on the run with a three before the Cougars managed to make a couple of free shots.
From there, the Clippers rallied again for another eight points, starting with a Karels steal and jump shot from the paint. Smith also stole and scored and then took a Sam Ternes pass in for a basket. With a Kortuem steal and shore-to-shore drive for a layup, the Clippers were quickly up 17-2.
The Cougars put in a three-point and a two-point basket, but the Clippers responded with another run, this time for 11 points. It started after a Clipper miss when Kortuem made a quick steal and took the ball 20 feet for a layup.
From there, Karels put in a running jump shot, Kortuem scored on a jumper, and Karels arced in a three. Simonette stole and drove the floor for a layup and a 28-7 Clipper advantage. Between a couple of Cougar free baskets, Karels hauled in an offensive rebound and scored, and the Clippers lead 30-9 at the intermission.
Zayden Linder scored from near the rim for the first basket of the second half. Ternes canned a three, Karels took an offensive rebound up and in, and Charlie Perkins scored from the paint to put the Clippers ahead 39-13.
Later, Tomaszewski entered the game in a big way with a three and a pair of two-point buckets that, along with a Karels steal and layup, gave the Clippers a 48-19 advantage. The Cougars rallied for 13 points from there, but down the stretch, Dominic Anderson drove the baseline for his first basket this season, and Linder dumped in a running jump shot to put a bow on the triumph.
With 13 points, Karels was the only Clipper to hit double figures. Playing the first half only, Kortuem had nine points, Smith had eight points, and Simonette had four points. Entering the game in the the second half, Tomaszewski had seven points, and Linder added five points. Ternes scored three points in the second half while Anderson and Perkins each chipped in a bucket.
Kortuem, Ternes and Karels each put in a basket from three-point land. The Clippers only went to the foul line twice and made one of four attempts from there. Cedar Mountain put in one three and eight of 14 free shots.
Against USC, paced by a dozen points from Ternes, the Clippers led 23-13 at the break. Off the bench, Tomaszewski scored nine points in the second period.
Ternes led the Clippers with 15 points. Only on the floor in the first half, Kortuem had five points while Smith added a basket. Karels scored five points in the second half. Simonette had a bucket in each half. Perkins dropped in a three in the second half. Kluntz put in a basket in the first half.
The Clippers made five three-point baskets, two from Ternes, one from Kortuem, one from Perkins and one from Tomaszewski. Ternes put in all three of his free shots, but the Clippers missed on their other nine attempts.
USC put in a pair of threes and five of 12 foul shots.
The JV boys return to action with a make-up game in LeSueur on January 3.
Above: Dominic Anderson on the breakaway
