CLIFTON – Coming off a seven-day break for the Christmas holiday, the Clifton Lady Cubs returned to action to take second place in their Annual Holiday Tournament last Friday and Saturday. The Lady Cubs return to District 17-3A competition Friday by hosting West at 6 p.m.
After winning Pool A on Friday, the Lady Cubs came up short in a hard-fought defensive struggle against Hamilton, 36-29, in the tournament championship game Saturday afternoon. Seniors Sutton Finney and Kamryn Kettler led Clifton in scoring with nine points apiece. Senior Josephine Burke dominated the boards with nine rebounds, followed by senior Dacey Dietiker with seven.
“We had a good tournament,” Clifton girls basketball head coach Whitney Holdbrook said. “We were able to get back into gear for district, which kicks back off Friday with West. The girls gave a great effort, and we had some new players step up and contribute offensively.”
Clifton (1-1 in District 17-3A, 10-11 overall) opened the tournament with a heartbreaking 26-24 loss to Axtell, but the Lady Cubs rebounded to knock off McGregor, 35-24, Friday afternoon to win Pool A on points. Clifton defeated Mart, 39-20, in an exhibition game Saturday morning before playing in the title match.
Kettler led the Lady Cubs in scoring against Axtell with 15 points, Burke tossed in a team-high 13 points and 10 rebounds against McGregor, and Dietiker scored a team-high 10 points while pulling down nine rebounds against Mart. Burke dominated the defensive boards with 15 total rebounds against Mart.
Photos by DAVID HARDING
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