HUNTINGDON — Breanna Peters scored 20 points, but she and teammates Brianna Spencer and Emily Ryan exited early because of injuries, crippling the Clearfield Area High School basketball team even more in a 51-34Â loss to Huntingdon Friday night.
The Lady Bison went into the Mountain League game without 6-3 senior post Dakota Farmery, who suffered a head injury in their opener at the Brookville Tip-Off Tournament, and with promising sophomore Maggie Sopic coming off a foot injury sustained while playing soccer.
Clearfield (1-3, 0-2 ML) got off to a rocky start and was staring at a 15-5 deficit during a quarter which it registered only five shots because of 20 turnovers.
Compounding the Lady Bison’s hopes of a comeback was losing Spencer, a junior starter who aggravated a knee injury.
Still, coach Joey Castagnolo’s team rallied behind Peters’ eight points to cut the Lady Bearcat lead to seven, 24-17, at halftime.
Clearfield got closer with the first three points of the third quarter before Huntingdon went on a run.
Peters again shouldered the offense for the Lady Bison with nine of their 15 points, but the Lady Bearcats were on top 40-32 at the buzzer.
Peters, who had 12 rebounds for a double-double, suffered her ankle injury midway through the fourth quarter, and the Lady Bison managed only two points in the final eight minutes.
Ryan, a freshman reserve guard, also was sidelined by an ankle injury, according to Castagnolo.
Returning senior starter Tara Smith and freshman Logan Felton netted 13 points apiece in the first win by the Lady Bearcats (1-2, 1-1 ML).
Huntingdon also won the junior varsity game, 33-15.
Three home games are on the docket for the Lady Bison next week, Monday against District 9 Class AAA rival Punxsy and Wednesday against Bald Eagle Area and Friday against Bellefonte in Mountain League action.
See photos of the game here: http://www.ladybisonsports.org/lbsbball121412.html
CLEARFIELD — 34
Breanna Peters 6 7-9 20, Brittany Renaud 1 0-0 2, Tessa Munshower 0 0-0 0, Brianna Spencer 0 0-0 0, Mary Ishman 1 2-2 4, Maggie Sopic 2 0-0 4, Emily Aveni 1 0-0 2, Sarah Aycock 0 0-0 0, Sarah Lash 0 2-2 2, Emily Ryan 0 0-0 0, Margo Castagnolo 0 0-0 0. TOTALS: 11  11-13 34.
HUNTINGDON — 51
Katie Kurtz 0 0-2 0, Tara Smith 6  0-0 13, Logan Felton 5 3-4 13, Cheyanne Snyder 2 1-3 5, Shannon Henney 3 1-2 7, Hannah Cunningham 0 0-0 0, Samantha Mansberger 0 0-0 0, Brianna Rivello 3  3-8 9, Sierra Shoemaker 0 0-0 0, Janay McCrum 2 0-0 4.  TOTALS: 21 8-19 51.
Three-Point Field Goals – Clearfield 1 (Peters); Huntingdon 1 (Smith).
Score by Quarters
Clearfield            5 12 15  2 – 34
Huntingdon     15  9 16 11 – 51