Photo courtesy of ADM Activities Director Rod Wiebers

The Adel-DeSoto-Minburn Boys Basketball season has come to an end after almost upsetting the number one seed in Class 3A on Thursday.

The fifth-seeded ADM Tigers had their hopes at a state title cut short as they were defeated by the Clear Lake Lions, 66-57 in the semifinal round. This was the second matchup of the season as Clear Lake won back in a non-conference game on January 3rd, 78-62. In the first quarter, the Lions made the initial run to lead 19-10, but the Tigers would end the quarter on a 10-4 run, trailing 23-20. ADM kept that momentum up in the second quarter, outscoring Clear Lake 18-7 to take a 38-30 advantage into the halftime locker room. 

The Tigers would put the pressure on in the third quarter as they took a 12-point lead, and were up 49-39 heading into the final frame. In the last eight minutes, the Lions applied full court pressure, which bothered ADM, causing turnovers and led to the game being tied at 57-57. The Tigers missed critical free throws down the stretch and were held scoreless for the final couple of minutes, only capturing eight points, while Clear Lake erupted for 27 in the fourth quarter to win 66-57.

ADM was led in the game by junior Hudson Lorensen with 22 points, followed by junior Trey Bryte’s 17, and six points from junior Hudson Shull. The high man on Clear Lake’s side was senior Thomas Meyer with 31 points, then it was 15 points from sophomore Jaxson McIntire, and eight points from junior Max Larson.

The Lions remain unblemished at 26-0 as they will battle MOC-Floyd Valley in the Class 3A Championship game today. The Tigers finished the 2024-25 season with a record of 22-5 overall and graduate three seniors, consisting of Wyatt Schweiger, Cade Fisher, and Carter Madison.