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Raiders’ fast pace tops Clippers
Clippers’ Lower goes off for 36; Rich scores 25 for Raiders
Southeast Iowa Union offers audio versions of articles using Instaread. Some words may be mispronounced.
WILLIAMSBURG — Turning defense into offense and playing fast. That has become the formula for success for this year’s Williamsburg girls basketball team.
It was on full display in the Raiders’ thrilling 67-65 win over Class 4A No. 12 Clear Creek Amana Tuesday night. The Raiders also won its first matchup with Clear Creek Amana this season, 44-40.
The Raiders had 19 steals Tuesday, turning many of them into baskets.
“I think what was working for us is our speed,” Williamsburg guard Carly Rich said. “We hit most of our points off of transition, especially when they weren’t getting back on defense.”
The engine of eight of those steals was Ava Hocker.
Hocker ignited the Raiders’ defensive takeover in the second quarter. The sophomore takes pride in her defense.
“I talk a lot with Coach Dacey about who I am guarding, and in practice I’m very locked in pretending our girls’ are theirs,” said Hocker.
“If I focus on defense, everything else will come. That’s my job. We have some really good scorers, so I know if I can keep the girls I guard to a low score, we’re going to have success.”
The box score may not show it in Tuesday’s game, as Clear Creek Amana’s Averie Lower put on quite the display on the offensive side of the ball.
Lower scorched the Raiders for 36, but many of the looks were contested.
“I just had to smile,” Williamsburg coach Stephanie Dacey said on Lower’s performance. “She’s a phenomenal player, and she’s probably the best contested shooter I’ve seen.”
Great players make great shots, but the Raiders’ intensity was always there defensively.
“It was about us making them uncomfortable and making them use the shot-clock,” said Dacey.
The Clippers led 21-16 after a quarter, and were getting what they wanted offensively.
The Raiders started the second with a Kennedy Skaggs three and back-to-back steals. All of a sudden they had a 24-21 lead.
Midway through the quarter, all eight players who entered the game for the Raiders had scored.
The team had 11 steals at half and led 36-30.
Rich hit a barrage of three-pointers in the third. Rich went 4-4 from deep in the quarter, and the lead was 12 after three.
Just when the game seemed to be out of reach, the Clippers clawed their way back in it. Lower hit four threes in the fourth.
Alex Schrage added another one, and Lena Evans added two of her 17 total on the night in the rally back.
After getting the lead down to 62-58, Zoe Allen scored off a pass from Rich.
The last minute of the game came down to the free throw line, and the Raiders were less than ideal from the line, leaving the door open for the Clippers.
The Raiders shot 2-8 from the line in the closing stretch but made a few key defensive stops late to hold on for the win.
“We knew Averie was going to get hot, but ultimately our defense was a really key factor those final minutes,” Rich said. “Just doing all the little things right is what got us this win today.”
The 3A No. 5 Raiders can add another win over a ranked opponent to their resume, moving to 16-2 atop the WaMaC West Division.
The Raiders got 18 points from their bench in the win, nine from Channing Becker, five from Taylor Sanchez and four from Kylee Suhr.
“We’ve been able to go through a stretch of having some big win margins and get them more playing time and get them more comfortable,” Dacey said.
