The Malcolm boys' basketball team got off to a slow start March 7 in the Class C1 state tournament opener.
The Clippers faced top-seeded Omaha Concordia, and the Mustangs raced out to a 22-4 lead at the end of the first quarter. The deficit was too much to overcome, and Concordia took home a 72-36 victory.
"That's not the start we needed," Coach Chris Lewandowski said. "We couldn't get the defense going. They moved the ball really well."
He said the offense took good shots that didn't fall. He thought the MHS offense was a little out of system to begin with but then settled in.
"I loved the way our guys battled," Lewandowski said.
The coach said he challenged his team at halftime, and the team responded.
"There's no way of us coming back unless we win the second half," Lewandowski said.
The Clippers scored 15 to Concordia's 19 in the third quarter, but OCHS outscored Malcolm 20-8 in the fourth to pull away.
Carson Frank led the Clippers with 12 points, and Maddox Meyer was able to drive the lane, draw fouls and get to the free throw line in the second half. He finished with 11 points, all after halftime.
Concordia's Quientan McCafferty led all scorers with 18 points.
