By 
It’s seeding points, not style points, the Watertown boys basketball team is seeking.
In a game a coach named McClemans couldn’t lose, the Arrows rolled past Aberdeen Central 69-45 in a game that featured father and son head coaches.
The outcome wasn’t surprising. The Arrows under coach Pat McClemans upped their record to 14-3 and now are the fourth-seeded team in Class AA. McClemans’ son Colton coaches the Golden Eagles, who have just one victory in 17 outings.
“We did what we needed to do,” said the elder McClemans. “We came out and won a game, and that’s hard. I don’t care what anybody says, winning games is hard. Now we move on and come to practice tomorrow.”
The Arrows led only 11-9 with 2:40 left in the first quarter. They scored 23 of the next 25 points, putting the Golden Eagles into a 23-point hole from which they never recovered.
“The first six minutes of the first quarter we got off to a good start,” said Colton McClemans. “Then we give up a little bit of a run where we turn the ball over a couple of times and have a hard time recovering.”
The Arrows outpointed Aberdeen 56-35 from the field where they hit 24 of 52 shots (46 percent) to the Golden Eagles’ 15 of 48 (31 percent).
“Some of it was their size and athleticism and trying to get out and in transition and score baskets,” Colton McClemans said about Watertown’s attack.
But the Arrows didn’t play with nearly the precision they did last Friday in a win against once-beaten Sioux Falls Roosevelt. The most notable statistical malfunction was 19 turnovers, one fewer than Aberdeen.
Pat McClemans acknowledged 19 turnovers were too many, but he saw a ray of sunshine.
“A lot of those turnovers to me were where we’re trying to make a pass to somebody in a scoring position,” he said. “And again, I think we’re being unselfish, which I think is a strength of our basketball program. Would I like the turnovers cleaned up? Yes.”
The Arrows were without leading scorer Carter Buisker who was ill and didn’t attend the game. McClemans wasn’t sure if Buisker will be available for Friday’s key matchup with 13-4 Huron on the Tigers’ home court.
“God willing and the creek don’t rise,” the Watertown coach quipped. He acknowledged the intensity level didn’t come close to the Roosevelt game.
“Good teams do that. We didn’t do it for sustained periods tonight. At times we did some really good things.”
The third McClemans involved in Tuesday’s game, Jackson, paced Watertown with 20 points and seven assists. Junior center Isaac Rehorst threw down 18 points, including two dunks, and junior center Jack Mack collected 13 points and seven rebounds.
Luke Swanson scored 15 to pace the Eagles, who matched or exceeded the Arrows’ effort but not their talent.
The Aberdeen coach praised his team’s work ethic.
“They always continue to respond no matter what the situation is, and that’s part of building a culture that you want in your program. I’m appreciative of that.”
He said playing with confidence is a goal that needs to be reached.
“Right now our kids are thinking a little too much, and that part is on me,” he said. “I’m trying to find a way to get kids to understand a shot is a good shot to take if they do it with confidence.”
Outwardly, the elder McClemans didn’t commiserate about his son’s predicament.
“I’ve been through it a lot more times than he has,” he said. “If you stay in this long enough, you’re going to have years that are rough. Your job is to continue to teach and continue to stay positive with kids. But it’s hard, and it’s hard on the kids.”
ABERDEEN CENTRAL 45
Luke Swonsen 4-15 7-10 15, Bryson Burgard 0-5 0-0 0, Kalen Larson 0-1 0-0 2, Jack Bertsch 3-7 0-0 6, Gavin Hauck 3-5 0-0 8, Austin Ryan 0-4 2-2 2, Brenner Waldrop 1-3 0-0 2, Elijah Franks 1-3 0-0 2, Carter Board 3-5 1-2 9. Totals 15-48 10-14 45.
WATERTOWN 69
Jack Mack 4-9 4-7 13, Dane Stark 2-5 0-0 5, Kaden Decker 1-4 0-0 3, Jackson McClemans 7-16 4-4 20, Isaac Rehorst 7-11 4-6 18, Mason Anderson 3-6 0-2 7, Landon Struckman 0-1 1-2 1. Totals 24-52 13-21 67.*
*Official boxscore missing 2 points.
Aberdeen 11 15 32 45
Watertown 22 38 59 69
Three-point shooting – Aberdeen Central 5-16 (Hauck 2-3, Board 2-2, Swonsen 1-5, Burgard 0-1, Larson 0-1, Ryan 0-3, Franks 0-1. Watertown 6-13 (McClemans 2-4, Mack 1-2, Decker 1-2, Anderson 1-2, Stark 1-3).
Rebounds – Watertown 28 (Mack 8), Aberdeen 23 (Waldrop 5).
Assists – Watertown 24 (McClemans 7), Aberdeen 15 (Swonsen 4, Ryan 4).
Fouls – Aberdeen 17, Watertown 16.
Turnovers – Aberdeen 20, Watertown 19.
Sophomores – Watertown 69, Aberdeen Central 45. For Watertown, Gus Mack had 22 points and seven assists, and Hudson Dickes and Carter Clark 15 points each. Kannon Van Gilder and Kye Paulson each had five rebounds.
Junior varsity – Watertown 56, Aberdeen Central 47. For Watertown, Mason Anderson collected 17 points, and Max Martenson and Gus Mack each had 11.
Jackson McClemans of Watertown momentarily loses his grasp of the basketball while attempting a first-half layup Tuesday night against Aberdeen Central’s Carter Board (40) in the Civic Arena. Trailing the play is the Arrows’ Ashton Rabine (12). Watertown won the game 69-45. Photo by J.T. Fey for The Watertown Current.
