HYDE — The Pennsylvania high school basketball season tips off Friday night, and girls teams from three districts will be visiting Clearfield Area High School\’s Arthur J. Weiss Gymnasium for the first round of the Lady Bison Blast-Off Tournament.
Coach Joey Castagnolo\’s Lady Bisons will host Bald Eagle Area (District 6) in the 7:30 p.m. nightcap pairing Class AAA teams. The six o\’clock opener will feature two Class A teams, DuBois Central (District 9) and Hanover (District 3).
Clearfield has four senior letterwinners from last season\’s 11-14 squad, Elizabeth Sopic, Brooke Jordan, Nikki Collins and Mallory Janocko. Sopic and sophomore Annie Janocko will start in the post against BEA, with Jordan, Collins and senior Juliana Howell on the perimeter. Howell sat out her junior season because of a knee injury.
Mallory Janocko will play on the wings as well as in the post, while junior Alanna Luzier will spell the guards.
Six letterwinners from Bald Eagle Area\’s 8-16 team of 2005-06. They are Kylie Masters, Brittany Doran, Sam Weaver, Danielle Reese, Heidi Mann and Whitney Giedroc.
DuBois Central was 12-14 and Hanover, which plays in a league with 2006 PIAA Class AA champion York Catholic, was 6-17. Hanover returns all of its starters.
Saturday\’s games are set for 3:30 p.m. (consolation) and 5 (championship).
The Clearfield junior varsity will play Bald Eagle Area Friday at 4:30 and DuBois Central Saturday at 2.