Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

TIFFIN – If Clear Creek Amana hadn’t already caught the attention of basketball observers around the state Tuesday’s win over Solon likely did the trick.

An 18-point win over Class 3A seventh-ranked and previously unbeaten Solon undoubtedly raised a few eyebrows but it is how the Clippers got their 75-57 win that is scary for future foes.

Clear Creek Amana shot 62 percent from the field, had four players in double figures and another with nine points while handing Solon (5-1) its first loss in a WAMAC cross-division contest in Tiffin.

“We preach about passing up a good shot for a great shot and playing together,” Clear Creek Amana coach PJ Sweeney said. “This team is so in sync they don’t care who scores and I think the stats would show that. They are just moving and sharing the ball extremely well.”

How efficient was Clear Creek Amana offensively on Tuesday?

Consider this.

Solon employed a defense intent on slowing Clear Creek Amana leading scorer Ava Locklear, holding the 5-foot-10 forward scoreless in the opening quarter.

Clear Creek Amana still led 21-12 after one quarter.

Locklear, who entered the game averaging a team-high 14.4 points per game, had four points in the first half on three field goal attempts.

Clear Creek Amana held a 38-29 halftime lead.

“With how close we all are no one is selfish,” Locklear said. “It’s a team sport and we all trust each other. If they are pushing hard on me I can go to anyone on our team and they will hit shots. I trust everyone on our team to make a shot so I’m not going to force anything.”

Senior guard Olivia Miller scored nine of her 18 points in the first quarter, all in the opening five as Clear Creek Amana built an early 11-7 lead.

“It definitely boosted my confident right away,” Miller said. “That helped and I knew I had my team behind me so if I missed a couple I’d pass to someone else and they’d knock it down.”

With the Solon defense working to stop Locklear and fellow junior post Bliss Beck in the paint Miller hit three first-half 3-pointers as the Clippers built a nine-point halftime cushion.

Miller had 15 of her 18 points in the first half as the Clippers shot 67 percent in the opening two quarters.

“Olivia has been shooting the ball extremely well in practice and it has been carrying over to games and the girls have a ton of confidence in her right now,” Sweeney said. “When she has her feet set and she shoots a ball I’m shocked if it’s not going in.”

While Miller was hitting shots from the perimeter the 6-foot-2 Beck was converting on the block opposite Locklear.

Beck made all five of her first-half field goal attempts and finished with 18 points on 9-of-10 shooting.

“Olivia had a great game, we were really pleased with how she did and Bliss and I always work really well together,” Locklear said. “She makes everything down low.”

Locklear got rolling after halftime, scoring eight consecutive third quarter points as the Clippers pulled away.

The 8-0 run by Locklear and a Beck putback with eight seconds left in the third quarter turned an eight-point Clipper lead into a 56-38 margin after three quarters.

Clear Creek Amana held Solon scoreless over the final 5:01 of the third quarter.

“When we can get stops and commit to the defensive end that’s the kind of outcome you can see,” Sweeney said. “I just couldn’t be more proud of the effort on the defensive end that we had tonight.”

Clear Creek Amana limited Solon junior point guard Callie Levin to 15 points, six below her season average, on 6-of-21 shooting.

“A player like that, she is tremendous and she is going to get her points we just want to make her work for everything she got and I think for the most part we did,” Sweeney said. “She is a tremendous player and I think we made her work for everything she got tonight.”

Kobi Lietz led Solon with 16 points, going 4-of-6 from 3-point range while Mia Stahle added 10 points.

Locklear had a double-double with 16 points and 16 rebounds, freshman Averie Lower added 10 points and Sam Schrage had nine points.

“I feel like we have a bunch of girls that can score, we are deep and we can have anybody come off the bench and score or do something positive for the team,” Miller said. “Everyone is backing each other up.”

Solon                                          12  17    9  19  –  57

Clear Creek Amana              21  17  18  19  –  75

Solon (57) – Kobi Lietz 5-10 2-2 16, Hailey Miller 2-9 1-2 6, Mia Stahle 3-8 2-3 10, Delainey Durr 0-1 0-0 0, Sara Holtz 1-1 0-0 3, Anna Quillin 2-5 0-1 4, Callie Levin 6-21 3-4 15, Kerrigan Lyons 1-1 0-0 3, Hilary Wilson 0-3 0-0 0, Totals 20-59 8-12 57.

Clear Creek Amana (75) – Averie Lower 4-10 0-0 10, Sam Schrage 4-4 1-2 9, Olivia Miller 7-13 0-0 18, Kennedy Stratton 0-2 0-0 0, Bliss Beck 9-10 0-2 18, Reese Stockman 1-2 2-2 4, Ava Locklear 6-9 4-9 16, Totals 31-50 7-15 75.

3-point field goals – CCA 6-16 (Lower 2-7, Miller 4-8, Stockman 0-1), SOL 9-28 (Lietz 4-6, Miller 1-5, Durr 0-1, Stahle 2-5, Holtz 1-1, Levin 0-8, Lyons 1-1, Wilson 0-1). Rebounds – CCA 40 (Locklear 16), SOL 25 (Levin 6). Turnovers – CCA 18, SOL 12. Total fouls – CCA 11, SOL 15. Fouled out – None. Technical fouls – None.

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