(Atlantic) Atlantic is on the road tonight for a Hawkeye Ten Conference girl/boy doubleheader. This marks the second meeting between the two schools this season. Atlantic swept the Cardinals 42-33 in the girls’ contest and 62-57 in the boys’ game.
Atlantic Head girls’ basketball Coach Dan Vargason says both Clarinda and Atlantic enter tonight’s game with similar records.
Vargason says Clarinda features a strong inside presence in 6-foot-1 senior post Carson Wellhausen, along with solid perimeter shooting led by Addison Wagner, who averages 12.25 points per game. Wagner scored 20 points in the first meeting, while Wellhausen grabbed eight rebounds.
In that earlier matchup, the Trojans held the Cardinals to single-digit scoring in each of the first three quarters. Coach Vargason notes that rebounding will again be a key factor in tonight’s contest.
Atlantic shot 38.6 percent from the field in the first meeting, while Clarinda finished at 26.8 percent. Makenna Schroeder led the Trojans with 12 points, while Zoey Kirchhoff and Peyton McLaren added nine points apiece. Katrina Williams paced Atlantic on the glass with 10 rebounds and added four steals against the Cardinals.
In the boys’ contest, Atlantic Head Coach Dalton Franken says they were able to limit the Cardinals to one shot and get points in transition the first time around. Clarinda led 28-24 at the break; however, the Trojans switched to a zone defense in the third quarter and outscored the Cardinals 18-9, holding on to win by five.
Coach Franken says the Cardinals have Sam Kline, who did not play against the Trojans the first time around is back in the lineup. The 6’2 senior averages 11.13 points per game and 6.1 rebounds.
Gavin McLaren leads Atlantic in scoring, averaging 14.50 points per contest. Kale Jensen is averaging 11.50. The game tips off after the girls’ game tonight.
We’ll have coverage of both the girls’ and boys’ games tonight on 95.7 FM and audio streaming online at westerniowatoday.com. Pregame coverage for the girls’ game begins at 5:45, with tip-off set for 6:00 p.m. The boys’ game will follow.
