Lena Evans helps Clear Creek Amana stay unbeaten in 64-34 win over West Delaware
New year, same winning ways for the Clear Creek Amana girls basketball team.
CCA (9-0) opened 2024 with a 64-34 blowout win over West Delaware (6-6) on Friday.
"Very proud of the effort the girls gave tonight," said CCA coach PJ Sweeney. "When you have a long (layoff) ... sometimes you're knocking off a little rust early and trying to get back in the flow again, and tonight, right from the tip, we played pretty well, pretty efficient."
The Clippers dominated in their first game back after a two-and-a-half-week layoff
CCA's defense was pesky in the first half. Their ability to limit West Delaware's offensive possessions led to scoring opportunities at the other end for the Clippers. They held a 47-18 advantage at halftime. It continued in the second half as CCA controlled the rest of the game.
"I thought we did really well tonight," said CCA sophomore Lena Evans. "We moved the ball good. We started really well."
CCA's two-punch starting combo of Averie Lower and Ava Locklear played a huge part in the Clippers' success on Friday. Lower finished with 19 points and five 3-pointers while Locklear added 15 points.
Evans contributed from the bench. She tallied 12 points and was active in the passing lanes, which added to CCA's scoring efforts.
Lena Evans is a playmaker
In the second quarter, Evans sniped a pass, ran down the court, hit a clean euro step, then scored.
"That's my favorite move, I do it all the time," Evans smiled. "It really gets people. Every time I do it, it usually gets them."
A couple of possessions later, Evans grabbed a pass from Kiera Rogers, launched a high-arc shot off the glass and knocked down a 3-pointer.
Evans made an impact in several areas of the game on Friday night, by snatching steals, finding open teammates and scoring when she needed to.
When asked about Evans' playmaking abilities, Sweeney said it starts with confidence.
"She's only a sophomore and you're just starting to see just how good she can be," Sweeney said. "And probably with her, and a lot of them, it's confidence. She's starting to get that and when you get confidence with a little bit of skill, that goes a long ways."
Ava Locklear and Averie Lower's chemistry showed
When two basketball players complement each other on the floor, positive results usually follow.
It showed late in the second quarter when Locklear and Lower assisted to one another on three straight possessions. It helped increase CCA's lead to 29 points at halftime.
Having a dynamic player like Lower, who possesses a deadly outside shot, and a dominant presence in the post like Locklear is a nightmare matchup for opposing teams. Going into Friday's game, Lower averaged 17.9 points per game on 57.4% from three while Locklear averaged 11.9 points and 9.1 rebounds.
"I feel like every time Ava passes me the ball, it's going to go in," Lower smiled. "I think having Ava on my team as a post and her working it inside and out just really helps us."
Sweeney praised their connection on the court.
"Averie's always looking for Ava down the blocks, Ava's always looking for Averie on the spot ups," Sweeney said. "When you got one of the best shooters in the state, [Ava] does a good job of finding (Averie(. They just work really well off of each other. It's fun to watch when they get clicking."
The win kept the Clippers undefeated on the season. CCA faces a big test when they travel to face Class 3A's No. 2 ranked Mount Vernon (11-0) on Tuesday.
This article originally appeared on Iowa City Press-Citizen: Clear Creek Amana girls basketball remains unbeaten
