The Gant Daily Game of the Week features the red-hot Clearfield Bison boys\’ basketball team as it hosts the defending PIAA Class A state champion Elk County Catholic Crusaders on Wednesday evening at Arthur J. Weiss Gymnasium at the Clearfield Area High School.
The Bisons (6-3), winners of three straight, claimed the Purchase Line Holiday Tournament with a 66-36 win over the host Dragons. Clearfield is off to its best start under head coach Forrest Campman.
James Zimmerman claimed Most Valuable Player honors – the fourth straight occurance for a Clearfield player in the tournament – as he poured in 21 points in the championship game and a total of 31 in the two-day tournament.
The Bisons used a 28-12 second-quarter run to distance themelves from the hosts. Zimmerman led the charge with 11 points in the run. Todd Hryn and Drew Hipps came off the bench to aid the run with six points each.
Across the court, the Crusaders bring an unbeaten 9-0 mark into the game and an offense that is averaging 67.9 points per game. Defensively, the Crusaders are allowing 39.9.
Elk County Catholic, under the guidance of legendary head coach Aaron Straub, won its fourth straight Elk County Holiday Tournament with an 83-65 win over rival Johnsonburg. The Crusaders have won 10 of the last 12 tournaments dating back to 1995, and have won 19 of the 27 tournaments.
The Crusaders held Johnsonburg\’s Calvin Grumley to 21 points one night after the Rams senior sensation poured in 52 points against St. Marys. Grumley now has 1,828 career points. He needs 172 points over his team\’s final 14 games to become the all-time leading scorer in District 9 history. Grumley will attend the Pennsylvania State University on a baseball scholarship. He plans on trying out for football or basketball when he enters his sophomore year at the school.
In the holiday tournament victory, Josh Salter paced the Crusaders attack with 22 points. He scored 20 in the first half against Johnsonburg, leading the Crusaders to a 48-29 halftime lead.
Jesse Bosnik led all scorers in the game with 31 points. It marked the first time this season Bosnik has reached the 30-point plateau and the third in his career. He currently stands with 1,649 points and trails school record holder A.J. Straub by 29 points. Straub scored 1,677 points in his career.
