Lady Clippers close out season with 14-1 record

Posted 3/18/21

AMBOY — The Amboy Lady Clippers closed out the season with three wins to finish with a 14-1 record.

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Lady Clippers close out season with 14-1 record

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AMBOY — The Amboy Lady Clippers closed out the season with three wins to finish with a 14-1 record.

Amboy had its final home game on March 9 against Polo. It was kind of Senior Night for the second time. The coaches had an earlier Senior Night because of COVID. Then, on the last home game of the season, Amboy started five of the six seniors with all six seniors being announced for starters and the six seniors for Polo were also announced.

Once the game started, the Lady Clippers had very little trouble in disposing of the Lady Marcos, 66-27.

Senior Gabby Jones led the attack with 18 points, while she also had seven rebounds, three assists and four steals. Abi Payne was next with 14 points and led with eight assists. Mallory Powers provided 11 points and five assists, while Brianna Blaine contributed eight points, five boards and a team-high five steals. Also aiding the winning cause were Olivia Dinges with seven points and seven rebounds, Madelyn McLaughlin with four points, five caroms and five steals, Eden Lindenmeyer with two points, two assists and three steals, and Olivia Miller with two points and two rebounds.

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Amboy traveled to Sterling on March 10 to take on Newman and another fast start propelled the Lady Clippers to a 68-25 win. AHS led 20-5 after the first quarter and 45-13 at the half.

Nine of the 13 Amboy players scored in the contest. Powers led the bunch with 22 points, while she added six rebounds and four assists. Dinges pumped in 14 points, led with 10 rebounds and added four assists and three blocked shots. Payne drilled 12 points and had five assists and five steals, while Gabby Jones, Blaine, McLaughlin and Miller had four markers apiece. Others helping with the win were Lindenmeyer with two points, Elly Jones with two points, McLaughlin with seven rebounds and three steals, Gabby Jones with six assists and four caroms, Blaine with six boards, Haidyn Zimmerly with four rebounds and Courtney Ortgiesen with three caroms.

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The final game of the season was a rematch with Polo on the Lady Marcos’ home floor on March 11, and Amboy came away with a 54-21 victory.

Payne dropped in a game-high 16 points and added five rebounds and five assists for the Lady Clippers. Powers had a nice stat line with 12 points, 11 rebounds, four assists and four steals, followed by Dinges with 10 points and 10 boards, Gabby Jones with nine points, 10 boards and four assists, Blaine with three points and 11 caroms, and McLaughlin with four points, seven rebounds and three assists.

Lindenmeyer did was she always does, contributing whether she is in the game or on the bench. She calls out defensive movement, suggests plays and keeps the enthusiasm on a high note. She is the best example of a “team player.”

“Every team needs an Eden Lindenmeyer,” said coach Mike McCracken. “Eden might not be known by everyone, but her coaches are well aware of her contributions to the team. Hopefully, the younger Lady Clippers learned as much from the example of what Eden Lindenmeyer showed them this season.”

Amboy finished the season with a 14-1 overall record and a 9-1 conference mark. The Lady Clippers tied for first in the NUIC South Division. Amboy has been rated number one in the AP Class A poll for much of the season and finished third in the Max Preps poll.

The season ended with the victory over Polo. The real celebration began when the team bus was met by a fire truck, an ambulance and a police car that escorted them from U.S. 52 and 30, through Amboy and back to the high school. At that point, the team got to wave at all the cars in the caravan and say thank you to the fans.