The #13 (3A) Hampton-Dumont-CAL girls basketball team will look to remain in sole possession of second in the North Central Conference and the boys team will look to dethrone #2 (3A) Lions as part of a doubleheader at Clear Lake on Friday, on 104.9 KLMJ. It will also be NCC Fights Cancer Night.
The Bulldog girls won 53-36 in an earlier meeting on December 6, this will be the first meeting of the season between boys teams.
The H-D-CAL girls (13-1, 6-1 NCC) won 45-25 at Webster City in a conference rematch on Tuesday. The Bulldogs have challenged opponents with their defensive pressure forcing 14 steals per game and allowing an average of 34.6 points per game. Jordan Valley and Brooklyn Valley are the Bulldogs double figure scorers with 12.8 and 10.8 points per game respectively. Lily Hambly defends the rim with 10.6 rebounds per game.
Head Coach Miranda Stafford on managing the pressure of a strong season to this point.
“Continuing to do what they’ve done to put them in the position to earn that pressure,” says Stafford. “It’s a mental thing of trying to balance just playing basketball and looking to be who we are. What got us in this position. Appreciating that pressure, appreciating their hard work and what they’ve done to get themselves in this situation.”
The Clear Lake girls (4-9, 3-4 NCC) lost a competitive game 47-44 to #8 (3A) Algona on Monday. The Lions rely on inside perimeter game, shooting at 34.4 percent from the field, to just 19 percent from three. Madi Ott is the team’s top scorer and rebounder with 10.5 points and 10 rebounds per game.
The H-D-CAL boys (3-9, 1-6 NCC) have lost four straight including a 62-42 loss at Webster City on Tuesday. The Bulldogs do a good job of sharing the ball on offense with 12 assists per game. Brady Harr averages a double-double for the Bulldogs with 15 points and 12 rebounds per game.
Head Coach Brian Niesen on facing a top 3A team in the Lions.
“They’re loaded, they’re ranked second, so there’ll be no pressure on us,” says Niesen. “We’ll see a team that a lot of people think could cut down the nets at Wells Fargo in Class 3A. We know we got our hands full, but there’s no pressure on us. We’ll go play in a fun environment and play hard to see what happens.”
The Clear Lake boys (11-0, 6-0 NCC) remained undefeated with a 82-43 win over Algona on Monday. The Lions are efficient on offense behind 20 assists per game. Thomas Meyer leads with 16.7 points and 9.4 rebounds per game.
Coverage on 104.9 KLMJ will begin just after 6:05 p.m. followed by the opening tip at 6:15 p.m. in Clear Lake.
