Girls’ basketball, Rivalry Saturday 2023: Clear Creek Amana 45, North Linn 44

CEDAR RAPIDS — Clear Creek Amana was on the verge of collapse.

Maybe beyond the verge.

North Linn had run and pressed and shot its way back from a 17-point deficit to take the lead.

But when the Class 4A second-ranked Clippers sorely needed a basket, Ava Locklear provided it. And when one final defensive stop was necessary, they got it.

CCA sidestepped three shots by the 1A No. 1 Lynx in the frantic final seconds and prevailed, 45-44, in a dandy of a Rivalry Saturday finale at Johnson Hall.

“This was good for us,” Clippers Coach P.J. Sweeney said. “Hopefully we learned a lot about ourselves.”

They learned that they have some heart to go with their height.

“We had more turnovers than we wanted,” Averie Lower said, referring to the Clippers’ 24 miscues. “But we worked really hard to bring it back at the end. Ava hit a big shot, and Sam (Schrage) had a big block.”

All in all, quite a way to start the season for the Clippers (1-0).

“At the end of the day, the win is the most important thing,” Sweeney said.

Early in the third quarter, North Linn (1-1) appeared to be toast. Undersized against the Clippers, the Lynx trailed 32-15 when Lower hit a 3-pointer.

But after a timeout, the Lynx scored seven points in less than a minute, and the comeback was underway. A pair of 3-pointers by Macy Boge and another by Kamryn Kurt had them within 38-33 by the end of the third quarter.

Allie Haughenbury’s only basket, from a feed by Kurt, put North Linn in front, 39-38, with 5:10 left.

Then it was a matter of trading jabs before Locklear’s 15-footer with 23 seconds left.

“I’m very proud,” North Linn Coach Brian Wheatley said. “We were on the verge of getting blown out, then all of a sudden, we had a chance at the end.

“The kids kept battling and gave themselves a shot.“

Three shots, actually. Schrage blocked the first one, with 0:12 to go. Two more were off the mark, and the Clippers escaped.

Lower led the Clippers with 16 points, hitting four 3-pointers. Locklear and Schrage added 10 points apiece, with Locklear snagging 12 rebounds.

Boge scored 21 for the Lynx, hitting 8 of 13 shots, 5 of 8 from distance. She also grabbed six of North Linn’s 17 steals.

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com