After raining down eight threes, visiting Mankato Loyola led the Clipper varsity girls 41-29 at the intermission, but with free baskets from Taylor McCabe and Ava Hahn and a two pointer from each, the Clippers pulled within six points, 48-42 a third of the way into the second half.
But the Clippers couldn’t close the deficit and fell 75-63 for their 10th-straight loss.
A frantic game at Nicollet the night before, where the Clippers—who were also coming off losses to Martin County West in Trimont on January 13 and to host Faribault Bethlehem Academy on January 10—led until the last minute of the first half but ended the game trailing by 10 points, drained Clipper energy reservoirs, said McCabe, who led the effort against the Crusaders with 21 points.
“I was sore, but it was still better than the last time we played them (on December 2, when the Clippers fell to Loyola 70-47).”
“I could see at the start of the game that we’re not even moving,” said head coach Joe Remiger. “We were not getting out at all and not getting rebounds.”
The Clippers found a second wind with about six minutes left in the first half, he said, but it didn’t last.
We started getting out and contesting, and if we got a rebound, Ava or Lacey (McCabe) would take it down the court, and Loyola couldn’t get its defense set up, but then we were using a lot of legs. We didn’t have the gas to finish.”
Hahn totaled 21 points. Emma Kortuem contributed a dozen points. Lacey McCabe had six points. Harper Rutz and Addi Holden each had four points. Mollie Bowman threw in a basket.
Kortuem put in two three-point baskets. Hahn and Taylor McCabe each made one three pointer. The Clippers made 17 of 29 foul shots. Loyola put in nine threes and 20 of 30 foul shots.
The Clippers pulled down 44 rebounds, two less than Loyola, and had 21 turnovers, one less than Loyola.
Lacey McCabe had 13 rebounds, three steals and three assists. Hahn had six rebounds, five steals and three assists. Bowman had eight rebounds and two steals. Holden had three rebounds and one steal, Taylor McCabe had three rebounds and two steals. Kortuem had two rebounds, two steals and one assist. Rutz had three rebounds and one steal.
The Clippers had 20 penalties, three more than Loyola. Holden picked up her fourth foul with 11:41 to go in the second half, limiting her defensive effectiveness before fouling out with 2:30 remaining.
“She did a good job, but like everybody, she was pooped,” Remiger said.
Overall, the narrow gap from the first meeting to the next shows that the Clippers are improving, he said.
“It’s not where we want to be, but I feel like we are making great strides forward.”
Nicollet 69, Cleveland 59
Taylor McCabe made her way down the baseline to score the game’s first basket and the first of eight she would have in the half. Sister Lacey stole and scored on a layup and Taylor drove the lane for another bucket for a 6-0 Clipper start before the Raiders put in a pair of free shots.
Kortuem took a Hahn pass up and in for three points and a 23-13 Clipper lead. With the Clippers in front 29-27 after a series of Taylor McCabe layups, Rutz bagged a pair of foul shots, but the Raiders made three free throws and then a three down the stretch to lead 33-31 at halftime.
The Raiders, who beat the Clippers 70-57 on December 10, scored the first two baskets after the break to extend their lead. Later, with a two-point basket followed by a three, they were in front 47-35.
Despite a dozen points from Lacey McCabe and 11 from Hahn, the Clippers couldn’t back in the game, especially after Holden fouled out with 8 minutes left, and the Raiders held on for the win.
Taylor McCabe led the effort with 20 points. Hahn and Lacey McCabe each had 15 points. Kortuem had five points, including the Clippers’ only three. Rutz added four points.
“There is some stuff we are not ok with, but we definitely made some strides defensively to even make it a game,” said Remiger. “So I am super proud of the girls for that.”
The Clippers also brought some intensity on offense, Remiger said.
“We were down 15 to nothing against Martin County West and so we talked about what do we need to get going right away, and they got going. Taylor is driving ball, and look at all the cuts we were getting to Ava even though her shots weren’t falling.”
The Clippers committed 21 fouls compared to the Raiders’ 16. Hahn fouled out down the stretch. The Clippers made 14 of 22 free throws. The Raiders buried seven threes and made 22 of 31 foul shots.
The Clippers totaled 38 rebounds, 11 less than Nicollet, and had 15 turnovers, the same as the Raiders.
Hahn had nine rebounds, three assists and four steals. Lacey McCabe had 11 rebounds, four assists, and four steals. Holden had seven rebounds, one block and one steal. Taylor McCabe had fire rebounds. Bowman had three rebounds, two assists and two steals. Kortuem had one assist.
MCW 50, Cleveland 31
MCW started the game with a 15-0 run. With a two and a three from Holden, a Lacey McCabe basket and a pair of free baskets off the hands of Rutz, the Clippers only had nine points in the first half compared to the Mavericks’ 22.
Holden made a pair of second half buckets and led the Clipper effort with nine points. Hahn put in a pair of threes and a two-point basket in the second half for eight total points. Taylor McCabe put in a bucket and four freebies, all in the second half, for six points. Rutz made a second half basket for four total points. Lacey McCabe and Kaitlyn Flowers each contributed a basket.
The Clippers made a trio of threes and six of 10 shots from the charity line. The Mavericks put in four threes and six of nine free throws.
The Clippers hauled in 28 rebounds and suffered 20 turnovers. MCW grabbed 48 rebounds and had 17 turnovers.
Hahn had two rebounds, two assists and four steals. Rutz had one rebound and three assists. Lacey McCabe had five rebounds and two steals. Holden had seven rebounds, one steal and one block. Kortuem had one rebound, one assist and one steal. Brooke Bosse had one assist. Bowman had four rebounds and one steal.
Despite the loss, Remiger said the Clippers did a good job of limiting the Maverick’s top scorer, Emily Anderson, to 16 points, 17 less than when the Mavericks beat the host Clippers 61-41 on November 26.
“We didn’t do well on offense; we had a lot of shots that didn’t fall in, but it was probably our best defense of the year.”
Faribault BA 65, Cleveland 33
The Cardinals doubled up on the Clippers at the break, 16-32.
With nine points, a two pointer and two free baskets in the first half and a two and a three in the second half, Taylor McCabe led the Clipper effort.
Hahn put in a two and a three and two free throws in the first half and one free throw in the second half for eight points. Lacey McCabe put in two buckets in the first half and a free throw in the second half for five total points. Kortuem put in a two and a three in the second half for five points. Holden had four points, and Ava Kluntz chipped in a second-half basket off the bench.
The Clippers made a trio of threes and a dismal eight of 21 free throws. The Cards sunk six threes and seven of 15 fouls shots.
The Clippers had 31 rebounds and a whopping 31 turnovers. The Cardinals had 58 rebounds and 21 turnovers.
Hahn had five rebounds, one assist and two steals. Kluntz had two rebounds. Rutz made two rebounds. Lacey McCabe had seven rebounds, one assist and two steals. Taylor McCabe had five rebounds, one assist and two steals. Holden had three rebounds, one assist, one steal and one block. Kortuem had three rebounds, and one block. Bosse had two rebounds. Bowman had two steals.
Monday’s game at Madelia was postponed due to the cold. In what should be a competitive game, the Clippers will return to the court on Thursday when they travel to Hector to take on 6-7 Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart in a 6:00 p.m. contest.
Above: Taylor McCabe scored 20 points against Nicollet and 21 against Mankato Loyola.
