When it comes to Clipper boys varsity basketball, Kyle Connor (above) usually isn’t high up on the points column, so he was an unlikely hero on Saturday when the varsity Clippers came back to beat West Lutheran at Bethany 77-74.
Included in the senior’s eight points were the final tying and go-ahead bucket.
“I was a bit nervous. I can’t lie,” said Connor, who regularly starts for the Clippers. “I’m usually not a shot taker. But I just knew I had to make them.”
But Connor made a couple of key defensive plays down the stretch too. With the Clippers trailing 68-64, he took a charge that knocked him to the floor.
“He has four fouls and takes a charge,” said head coach Mike Meyer. “ Most guys would shy away from it, but he leaned in and took the charge. That was huge.”
Carson Lyons got the ball inside for a bucket on the ensuing Clipper possession. After the Warriors lost the ball out of bounds, Connor sunk a turnaround jumper.
“We had drawn up a play, but none of our players were there,” Meyer said. “Kyle took it upon himself. It was huge. We needed a bucket there.”
The Warriors’ next attempt caromed off the rim. Braeden Smith fought for the rebound. Back on the Clipper side of the floor, Connor hauled down an offensive rebound and, fouled on the way up, put it in a bucket for a 70-68 lead with a minute and a half remaining.
“That and-one was huge,” Meyer said. “Kyle had a great second half.”
Later, at the 25 second mark and the Clippers leading 73-70, Connor pulled down a big defensive rebound, and the Clippers made enough free shots from there to hang on for the win.
After a Kale Kelley three, the Clippers went ahead 16-14, but the Warriors posted the next 15 points. Brennan Kortuem sunk a couple of free shots, but the Warriors scored two more baskets for their biggest lead of the night: 15 points.
With the Clippers trailing 33-18, Connor took a Lyons pass in for a layup, Smith made two free shots as did Bode Bartell, and with a Kortuem drive for a bucket, the Clippers cut their deficit to 10, 36-26 at the break.
The Clippers were coming off competitive road games on Thursday and Friday, so it was understandable they were dragging a bit.
“That’s the trouble when you play three games in a row,” Meyer said. “You don’t know what team is going to show up. The team that showed up in the first half was somewhat expected.”
“I think the whole team was feeling it,” Connor said. “But I think after halftime and Mike’s speech, we knew we had to get going. He was kind of harsh. He said we weren’t ready to be here, but he believed in us, and we knew we were a good team and should be here and came out hot.”
With two-point buckets and a pair of free shots from Kortuem, a Lyons inside basket and a Kelley layup, the Clippers scored 10 of the first dozen points after the break. Later, Lyons buried a three, and Kortuem drove for a couple more baskets and scored on an inbound pass.
Smith canned a three to deadlock the game 49-49 and followed up with a couple of free shots for the first Clipper lead.
“I think taking all five starters out for a while in the first half sent a message,” Meyer said. “They understand the way they were playing. They came out real sluggish. But they found it.”
It looked like the Clippers had lost it again after West Lutheran rattled off the next 10 points, but with 6:45 left, there was a lot of game left, and the Clippers went back to work.
Bartell ran in a layup, and Smith arced in another three and then grabbed an offensive rebound and put it up for a basket for the start of comeback, the sequel. Later, Kortuem dumped in a pair of free shots and a jumper, and Lyons scored inside before Connor knotted the game at 68.
“Carson, Brennan, they’re so tough to stop,” Meyer said. “And they came through, and all of our guys played really tough defense. We were sluggish in the first half, but when we went full court man-to-man, something snapped in their heads, and they decided to start playing.”
Kortuem didn’t put in any threes, but he still had 28 points and was perfect in his dozen free throws. Lyons totaled 17 points, including one three. Smith finished the night with a dozen points, half of them from three-point country. Connor had two buckets each half. Kelly had a three and a pair of second-half buckets for seven points. Bartell had a second half basket and three free baskets for five total points.
Missing just four of 27 shots, the Clippers were deadly from the foul line. They put in four threes. West Lutheran made one three and were 19 of 26 in free throw shooting.
The Clippers hauled in dozen rebounds on their end of the court and 19 on the West Lutheran side. They gave up14 turnovers. The Warriors had 14 offensive rebounds and 28 defensive rebounds and suffered twice as many turnovers as the Clippers.
“We still have to do better not giving up so many second-chance points,” Meyer said.
Lyons had five rebounds, two assists and two steals. Bartell had one rebound, two assists, two steals and a block. Brennan Kortuem had six rebounds, one assist, and one steal. Smith clutched nine rebounds. Kelley had three rebounds, one assist and one steal. Connor had three rebounds, one assist and one steal. Alex Johnson and Alex Kortuem each had one rebound.
The Clippers had a team bonding event after the game.
“I’m glad we can go into that with a win,” Meyer said.
Mayer Lutheran 66, Cleveland 63
The Tuesday after, a Clipper comeback fell short, and they fell to host Mayer Lutheran 66-63 after trailing 32-24 at halftime.
Before fouling out, Brennan Kortuem had seven baskets from the floor and seven free throws for 21 points. Lyons had 10 points, including one triple. Bartell put in a pair of threes and had nine total points. Connor finished the night with six points. Alex Kortuem had put in a second-half three and a free basket for four total points. Kelly chipped in a first-half basket while Smith made a basket in the second half.
The Clippers totaled four threes and made 17 of 26 free shots while the Crusaders had seven threes and made 13 of 30 free throws.
Cleveland had 19 offensive rebounds and 28 defensive rebounds. They had 16 turnovers. Mayer Lutheran had 17 offensive rebounds and 37 defensive rebounds. They turned the ball over 19 times.
Lyons had nine rebounds, three assists and one steal. Kelley had two rebounds and two steals. Brennan Kortuem had three rebounds and one assist. Bartell had six rebounds, three assists and three steals. Connor had five rebounds and one block. Smith had a dozen rebounds, one assist, five steals and one block. Alex Kortuem and three rebounds.
The varsity boys return to action next Tuesday when they take on host 10-15 Sleepy Eye Public.
