CCA outlasts Demons

The Washington boys? basketball team was waiting for Clear Creek-Amana to blink on Monday night.

The only problem was that never happened.

The Demons traveled up to Cedar Rapids Xavier for their district opener against the Clippers, and with Washington down late in the game, Clear Creek-Amana was sent to the free-throw line multiple times.

Unfortunately for the Demons, the Clippers didn?t blink under the pressure, connecting on nine of their last 10 free-throw attempts in the contest, and going 19-for-21 throughout the game from the charity stripe.

?They shot free throws really well down the stretch, and we didn?t want to foul (a couple of guys) very badly at all, and Clear Creek did a nice job of making sure they had the ball,? Washington head coach Bryce Smeins said. ?It was a battle of wills, and we finally had to foul them, but it didn?t work out.?

The Clippers rode the hot free-throw shooting to a 75-71 victory over the Demons, ending Washington?s season at 7-16, a one-win improvement from a year ago.

?We had some really good ballgames (this year),? Smeins said. ?We went to Center Point-Urbana and should have won. Then we had some nights we didn?t play well. Our schedule was pretty good. When you rely on the 3-point shot, you?ll have some tough nights and we did that a few times, but they played hard.?

The Clippers jumped in front early in the contest with a 5-0 lead, but Washington battled back, eventually tying the game up at 14-all, behind six first-quarter points from Bryce Sinn.

After tying the game back up at 19 in the second quarter, a Jack Redlinger free throw gave Washington its first lead of the game, but it was short-lived, as CCA responded with a 3-pointer.

As the half drew to a close, Redlinger and Demon senior Derek Anding notched a series of 3-pointers to go on a 9-2 run, and taking a 37-35 lead, but a last-second tip-in for the Clippers tied it up at 37 going into the break.

In the second half, neither team gained separation, as they traded the lead throughout the first four minutes of the third quarter, until the Clippers went on an 8-2 run to give them a 54-48 lead, their largest in the game.

The Demons responded with a 9-2 run of its own, retaking the lead in the fourth quarter at 59-58, but after an 10-2 Clipper run put the Demons behind again, the foul game had to start for Washington.

The Demons drew within three points on four separate occasions, but couldn?t get any closer, falling to the Clippers.

?I thought tonight was as well as we had played in a long time on both ends,? Smeins said. ?We did a lot of good things offensively and a lot of guys scored. Defensively we did a nice job.?

Offensively, the Demons were led by Anding?s 30 points, while Redlinger came off the bench to score 15 points for Washington.

The season marks the end of the careers for four Demon seniors, while also marking the end for head coach Bryce Smeins, who ended his 20-year tenure on the sidelines on Monday night.

He said it was hard to let it all soak in right after the game, but looks forward to looking back on his time as the Demon head coach.

?It?s been a fun 20 years,? Smeins said. ?I?m sure it?ll feel different tomorrow than it does right now,  but it?s been fun. We?ve had some good years, and you never win enough games.?