On paper, Malcolm’s Dec. 9 matchup with Class C2 No. 4 North Bend Central favored the Tigers. But games are decided on the court, not on paper and the Clippers found a way to escape with a 52-50 home victory to extend its record to 2-1 after the second week of the season.
Jumping out to a 19-4 lead helped set the tone.
“We came out with good energy,” Malcolm head coach Chris Lewandowski said. “We learned a lot from the Auburn loss and felt like this game would have a similar feel.”
Malcolm made key defensive adjustments early, limiting North Bend Central’s ability to get touches inside, forcing them to live and die by the three.
“Fortunately, their shooters weren’t connecting early,” Lewandowski said. “It also helped that we were forcing the ball into the hands of players who aren’t their leading scorers.”
The Tigers responded in the second quarter, trimming nine points off the deficit by halftime.
“We lost our way a little bit that quarter,” Lewandowski said. “We were taking shots too early in the shot clock, and they weren’t high-percentage looks.”
The second half turned into a dogfight, with North Bend Central slowly chipping away. The Tigers pulled within two points in the final 30 seconds, setting up a tense finish.
Leading by two with 13 seconds left, Brixon Meyer had a chance to seal it at the free-throw line, but missed both attempts, giving NBC one last opportunity.
But Meyer found redemption. With five seconds remaining, the senior leader stepped in front of a pass for a steal and dribbled out the clock.
“Brixon did so many big things in that game,” Lewandowski said. “A lot of them won’t show up in the stat sheet, but he was a huge reason we won.”
On the stat sheet, Meyer finished with eight points while leading the team with 12 rebounds and seven assists.
“He’s also our leader in the locker room,” Lewandowski added. “To make that play after missing the free throws shows the kind of competitor he is.”
Gavin Little led Malcolm with 12 points, while Miles McGill added 11.
Malcolm was set to host Raymond Central (0-4) on Tuesday before traveling to Class B No. 5 Platteview (3-1) on Thursday, Dec. 18.
The Clippers close the week at home Saturday, Dec. 20, against Beatrice (1-3). Tip-off is set for 4 p.m.
