Clear Creek Amana girls basketball advances to state title game with win over North Polk

The Clear Creek Amana girls basketball team claimed redemption in their Class 4A state semifinal matchup against North Polk on Thursday.

CCA was eliminated by the Comets in last season’s quarterfinals, but the outcome was different this time around as the top-seeded Clippers earned a 50-48 win to advance to Saturday's state championship game.

The Clippers head into the state title game with a perfect 25-0 record—their best in school history. They will face Waverly-Shell Rock (25-0) for the title on Saturday.

"The more experience helped so much, and I think the nerves weren't so high this time and we came in with confidence and I think that's really where the difference was made," said CCA's Averie Lower.

Here’s what we learned about the Clippers win over the Comets.

Clear Creek Amana found momentum in the third quarter

It was a battle of great defenses in the first half. CCA was held to 40.9% from the field while the Comets shot 38.5% over the first 16 minutes. North Polk took a narrow 28-26 lead into halftime, but the tide shifted heavily in the Clippers’ favor in the third frame.

The Clippers came out the gates swinging, going on an 8-0 run to start the second half. Bliss Beck found Ava Locklear in the post to kick off CCA’s run. On the Clippers' next offensive possession, Beck assisted Lower on the right wing for a 3-pointer. A couple of possessions later, Kaylee Stratton set her feet and drained a 3-pointer that the Clippers a six-point lead and forced North Polk to take a timeout.

"Going into halftime, we were super excited, and we knew coming into third that we had to keep pushing, keep going," Locklear said. "Kaylee (Stratton) hit a big 3-pointer which really helped our momentum, so I think we just kept pushing, kept doing what we do best and that really helped us."

The Clippers continued to push on the gas, scoring a game-high 17 points in the third quarter while their defense held the Comets to just eight points.

The Clippers kept their composure down the stretch

CCA continued to cause problems for the Comets to start the fourth frame by double-teaming North Polk's Abby Tuttle and guarding the 3-point line. The Clippers were able to gain an 11-point advantage with about six minutes left, but it was quickly cut to single digits. The Comets chipped away with an 11-1 run due, in large part, to free throws and clutch 3-pointers.

The Clippers were forced to overcome adversity and it started on the defensive end. Tuttle drained two free throws to cut CCA's lead to 48-47 with under a minute left, forcing CCA to call a timeout. It was followed by a CCA turnover, and the Clippers had to make a stop, and that's exactly what they did. Following a missed layup by North Polk, the 6-foot-2 Beck used her length to grab a defensive rebound that led to a fast-break bucket by Lower to extend the Clippers' lead to 50-47.

On the next possession, CCA forced Tuttle to the free-throw line. The UNI commit drained one and intentionally missed the second attempt with hopes of a rebound and a final shot. But Lower went up and grabbed her seventh rebound - the most important board of the game - to secure the win.

"I just read the rebound and I wanted this so bad. I knew we had to get the stop. I'm so glad I was the one to get the rebound," Lower said. "It's amazing watching the final second go down [and] just knowing that you got that win; having one more chance to play with my amazing teammates and all the seniors on this team."

Locklear finished with 17 points and seven rebounds. Lower tallied 16 points and seven rebounds while Beck added five points and 10 rebounds.

North Polk displayed toughness

Despite the loss, the Comets showed their toughness in the later stages of the game. Being down double-digits and making it a one-point game is a testament to the resilience of a basketball team.

"We showed a lot of guts, our team has a lot of guts. We've shown that all year. I was still confident that we'd make a comeback, get back in it...and we did so I knew we would," said North Polk coach Clint Albertsen. "We did a nice job with our defensive gameplan early, kind of got them off of what they were looking to do but they made a couple of plays at the end, and two-point game, that's the way the ball bounces."

Tuttle finished with 15 points and five rebounds while freshman Campbell Schulz added 15 points and four boards.

The Comets finish their season with a 23-3 record. All five starters are set to return next season.

This article originally appeared on Iowa City Press-Citizen: Clear Creek Amana beats North Polk, heads to Class 4A state title game