Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

DES MOINES – As Clear Creek Amana players posed for pictures following a substate final win over third-ranked Davenport Assumption last week a voice rang out above the dull of the crowd.

“We're not done yet,” a Clear Creek Amana player shouted.

No they aren’t. Not by a long shot.

In its first state tournament appearance since 1993 Clear Creek Amana sailed past second-ranked Mount Vernon 59-45 on Tuesday in a Class 3A quarterfinal at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines.

“We’re not done yet,” Clear Creek Amana junior Christian Withrow said. “That’s what we’ve always been saying, that’s what everyone has been saying, ‘we’re not done yet’. We’ve bought into that mentality and we are going to keep going.

Tyler Schrepfer led three players in double figures with a game-high 16 points as seventh-seeded Clear Creek Amana advanced to the state semifinals for the first time since 1992.

Clear Creek Amana (20-5) will face sixth-seed Sergeant Bluff-Luton (15-10) in the 3A semifinals at 3:45 p.m. on Thursday. Sergeant Bluff-Luton was a 58-43 winner over No. 6 Pella on Tuesday. 

“We figured ever since the start of the season people have been counting us out,” Schrepfer said. “We have been under dogs since the start of the season because of the last three years and we’ve been using that as fuel for the fire.”

Clear Creek Amana was it usual offensively efficient self on Tuesday, shooting 49 percent from the field and handing out 15 assists on 18 made field goals.

It was the defensive effort from the Clippers that stood out.

Clear Creek Amana held Mount Vernon (22-3) to a season-low 45 points on 27 percent shooting from the field while snapping a 13-game winning streak for the Mustangs.

The Clippers held Mount Vernon junior sharpshooter Keaton Kutcher to 13 points and no other Mustang had more than nine.

“We did a tremendous job on defense,” Clear Creek Amana coach Brandon Clubb said. “We knew what we had to do against Kutcher, obviously it helps playing him once. I thought we did a pretty good job the first time we played them so I think that familiarity helped, we didn’t have to start from scratch. We had a great game plan for him and (senior Nick) O’Connor did a heck of a job.”

Clear Creek Amana led 12-10 after the opening quarter and 22-19 at the half.

The Clippers took control in the opening two minutes of the second half.

Clear Creek Amana got 3-pointers by three different players on its opening three possessions of the second half and took a 33-22 lead when Schrepfer scored on a transition layup after a steal with 5:53 left in the quarter.

“When we are hitting shots and playing good hard defense all the time I don’t think there is any team that can honestly saying they are playing better than us,” Schrepfer said.

Mount Vernon would never cut the lead under seven the rest of the way.

Kutcher, who entered averaging 20 points per game, was held to three points on 1-of-7 in the first half and could never get anything going against the Clipper defensive effort led by O’Connor.

Meanwhile six Clippers had six or more points as O’Connor finished with 11 and junior Christian Withrow added 10.

“You have to take away their strength and their strength is their best player,” Clubb said. “They had the better player and we had the better team. We executed defensively exactly what we needed to do.”

Kutcher finished 3-of-20 from the field and 2-of-12 from 3-point range. The rest of the Mustangs couldn’t pick up the slack as Mount Vernon made just three of its final 19 field goal attempts.

“I know he’s a great shooter, I’ve played against him a couple of times before this year and I knew I had to be in his face because he can catch fire very quickly,” O’Connor said. “I wanted to contain him as much as possible and I think I did a pretty good job of that.”

Clear Creek Amana             12  10  21  16  –  59

Mount Vernon                      10   9   13  13  –  45

Clear Creek Amana (59) – Nick O’Connor 3-6 3-5 11, Tyler Schrepfer 6-8 3-4 16, Christian Withrow 3-7 4-7 10, Mike Potter 2-6 1-2 7, TJ Bollers 1-5 5-9 7, Ryan Navara 2-2 2-2 6, Brock Reade 1-3 0-0 2, Totals 18-37 18-29 59.

Mount Vernon (45) – Nolan Brand 1-6 0-0 2, Noah Erickson 1-6 0-2 2, Collin Swantz 1-1 0-0 3, Keaton Kutcher 3-20 5-6 13, Derek Jordan 4-7 1-2 9, Owen Brase 0-1 0-0 0, Kaleb Brand 1-4 1-2 4, Jayden Meeker 4-11 2-4 12, Totals 15-56 9-16 45.

3-point field goals – CCA 5-9 (O’Connor 2-5, Schrepfer 1-2, Potter 2-2), MV 6-21 (Swantz 1-1, Kutcher 2-12, Brase 0-1, K. Brand 1-3, Meeker 2-4). Rebounds – CCA 39 (Bollers 14), MV 31 (N. Brand 11). Assists – CCA 15 (O’Connor, Schrepfer, Withrow, Potter, Bollers 3), MV 10 (N. Brand 5). Turnovers – CCA 16, MV 11. Total fouls – CCA 14, MV 22. Fouled out – None. Technical fouls – CCA (Potter).

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