Crown the Clippers: CCA is the 4A girls’ state basketball champion

DES MOINES — Stop, Go-Hawks!

Thanks to some ferocious interior defense by Clear Creek Amana, the 1-vs.-2 Class 4A girls’ basketball championship battle of unbeatens was a no-doubter.

The top-rated Clippers put a cap on a perfect season, 43-25, Saturday afternoon at Wells Fargo Arena.

“This was what we played the whole season for,” said the Clippers’ Ava Locklear, named the 4A all-tournament captain. “We had a goal in mind, and we achieved it.”

Locklear and Bliss Beck controlled the paint, and the Clippers (26-0) held Waverly-Shell Rock to 7-of-49 shooting (14.3 percent).

“We lean heavily on our defense,” CCA Coach P.J. Sweeney said. “Bliss and Ava did a phenomenal job.”

That duo held their WSR counterparts — Katelyn Eggena and Emma Thompson — to 4-of-29 from the floor.

“We talked about shutting them down,” said Beck, who will play volleyball at Drake University next year. “They’re similar to us, and we tried to take away their high-low game.”

Come to think of it, they took away virtually everything. Then again, that’s been the theme all week.

All season.

CCA allowed 34.3 points per game in state-tournament play, 33.4 in the postseason, a 4A-best 31.3 all winter.

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“Props to Ava and Bliss,” Averie Lower said. “They are such great defenders. I think our pressure got to them.

“We had confidence coming in. We knew what we needed to do, and we executed really well.”

Lower led all scorers with 17 points, and grabbed four steals. Locklear posted 11 points, 19 rebounds and four blocks. Beck contributed 11 points, eight rebounds and six blocks.

That trio made up half of the 4A all-tournament team. The rest of the squad consisted of Eggena, plus North Polk’s Abby Tuttle and Sioux City Heelan’s Melina Snoozy.

Waverly-Shell Rock (25-1) won its first two games here by four points apiece. But the Clippers knocked the Go-Hawks out of contention relatively early.

CCA held the Go-Hawks to one field goal in the final 10 minutes, 15 seconds of the first half, and took a 24-12 lead into intermission.

The Clippers scored the first eight points of the second half. Beck missed two shots under the basket, then turned the third into a three-point play. Lower drilled a 3-pointer, then followed with a steal and a layup, and it was 32-12.

WSR got no closer than 15 points again.

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Locklear’s 19 boards got her to 43 for the tournament, a 4A record. She has signed with Division-II Saginaw Valley State.

When Sweeney took over as head coach 10 years ago, Clear Creek Amana’s identity in girls’ sports was simply softball.

CCA made its first girls’ state basketball trip in 2020, its second in 2023. Both ended with lopsided first-round losses.

This one ended with pink shirts, tiaras and a championship trophy.

“A lot of emotions,” Sweeney said. “I was thinking about where we were 10 years ago. Now, we’ve won a freaking state championship. I couldn’t be more proud of these amazing girls.

“We pushed them hard, and they responded. That will win a lot of games.”

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Photos: Clear Creek Amana vs. Waverly-Shell Rock in Class 4A girls’ state basketball championship

Clear Creek Amana 43, Waverly-Shell Rock 25

Class 4A State Final, at Des Moines

WAVERLY-SHELL ROCK (25): Lizzy Frazell 0-3 0-0 0, Brenna Bodensteiner 1-6 7-7 10, Sydney Bienemann 1-5 0-0 2, Katelyn Eggena 2-20 0-0 4, Emma Thompson 2-9 3-6 7, Anaka Ott 0-0 0-0 0, Addie Ott 0-1 0-0 0, Natalie Beck 0-0 0-0 0, Ramey Dahlquist 0-0 0-0 0, Megan Heyer 0-2 0-0 0, Addie Kruse 0-1 0-0 0, Hannah Halbach 0-0 0-0 0, Emma Smith 0-0 0-0 0, Aubrey Victor 0-0 0-0 0, Brittny Bodensteiner 1-2 0-0 2. Totals 7-49 10-13 25.

CLEAR CREEK AMANA (43): Kaylee Stratton 0-1 0-0 0, Averie Lower 6-11 1-2 17, Sam Schrage 0-5 0-0 0, Bliss Beck 5-8 1-1 11, Ava Locklear 4-12 3-4 11, Addesyn Campbell 0-0 0-0 0, Kiera Rogers 0-0 0-0 0, Lena Evans 2-5 0-0 4, Melissa Sweeney 0-0 0-0 0, Kennedy Stratton 0-3 0-0 0, Lexi Moran 0-0 0-0 0, Kelsey Leathers 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 17-45 5-7 43.

Waverly-Shell Rock 7 5 6 7 -- 25

Clear Creek Amana 12 12 12 7 -- 43

3-point goals: WSR 1-8 (Frazell 0-2, Brenna Bodensteiner 1-4, Heyer 0-2), CCA 4-10 (Lower 4-7, Schrage 0-2, Kennedy Stratton 0-1). Team fouls: WSR 4, CCA 9. Fouled out: none. Rebounds: WSR 33 (Thompson 10), CCA 40 (Locklear 19). Assists: WSR 2 (Frazell, Eggena), CCA 7 (Locklear 3). Steals: WSR 8 (Thompson 2), CCA 6 (Lower 4). Turnovers: WSR 10, CCA 13.

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com