HYDE — One thing about the Clearfield Bison basketball team this year is that the hard work leads to hard-fought victories. At the same time, every game doesn’t get any easier than the last. Entering Friday night’s action, the Bison were perfect on the season, coming off a victory against their rival from down the road in Curwensville. But, things were not letting up, because the Bison Gymnasium was set up for an epic encounter.
On the other side of the court, it was the Tyrone Golden Eagles, who entered the game also undefeated on the year, setting up a major showdown for early in the year. The atmosphere felt like it was a football game instead of being inside on the hardwood.
What the packed house got was a game that would see breakout performances on both sides of the court, many players in double-digits, and the highest-scoring affair ever in the new gym.
What was unexpected though, was that the home team would dominate the contest for over 75 percent of the time, causing frustration and anxiety from the opposition. The Bison team would go on to out-score, and out-rebound the visiting Golden Eagles starting in the second quarter, and riding that momentum to a 79-61 victory, handing Tyrone its first loss of the year, while remaining undefeated themselves.
“Our kids played hard. That kid (Anthony Politza) is the best Mountain League player I’ve seen in a long while, and Erik Sellers took it on his shoulders and he was an animal on the boards, boxing out and pulling down offensive rebounds,” head coach Nate Glunt said afterward.
After being down 13-10 after just one quarter, the Bison turned up the heat on the visitors in the next frame, pulling down boards both on offense and defense. At the end of the night Clearfield more than doubled the amount of rebounds than Tyrone, 44-18. In the second quarter alone, the rebounds led Clearfield to a 13-5 run that saw them score 23 points in the frame, led by Will Myers.
Myers would have a career night as he would hit double figures on the night, hitting a game-high 31 points, pulling down 11 boards, plus adding five assists and three steals. Not to be outdone, Sellers would also make double figures, achieving 10 points and 10 rebounds plus four assists. Tommy Hazel also got in on the scoring, as he added 19 points along with his six boards and five assists.
“We have height, and that helps, but it’s the ‘want to’ that matters. You look at some of the best in rebounding of all-time, and they aren’t that tall compared to what they’re playing against, but they just wanted the ball and played hard,” Glunt said. “I think the whole team rebounded well, but those two (Myers and Sellers) especially.”
It was a bit of an auspicious start for Clearfield as in the first quarter they found themselves down six at one point, as Nathaniel Soellner and Politza each were making key baskets. But, both of those players would find themselves in a bit of trouble late in the contest.
Entering the fourth quarter, both of them were already in foul trouble with four a piece, plus Tristan Lingafelt and Shane Geis as well were each at four fouls. Things began falling apart as first it was Lingafelt fouling out in the fourth quarter. Politza soon followed.
But then, it was Soellner that would foul out, but also took all the momentum out of the sails for the Golden Eagles.
Despite leading the team with 21 points, he already earned a technical foul in the third quarter for a blow to the head. During the fourth quarter, he would get too physical on offense, drawing a second technical. He would foul out at that point with five, but due to the fact two of the fouls were technical, it would result in an ejection.
Even with all the physicality that was going on, Glunt kept his team focused on their game, and only their game.
“It’s just one game. Now we have Punxsutawney on Monday, then the Purchase Line Tournament. We have Tyrone on the road again; all these games are going to be battles. We made some shots tonight, which helps, but we’re going to get into some games this year that will be battles.
“You have to keep playing; don’t concentrate on the officials, or what the other team is doing. Just play our game, play basketball,” Glunt said.
Blake Brooks would be the other Golden Eagle to reach double digits as he added 18 points.
For Glunt, seeing his team not get discouraged and continue to battle was what kept them in the game, even after getting down early.
“It’s toughness, and I also think that we have this system where we felt that we should just keep playing,” he said. “In the first quarter, Tyrone did a great job at defending us, and they forced us to turn the ball over. In the second quarter, we didn’t turn the ball over, started getting some shots off, and played really strong offensively, and it carried through.”
The night opened with a thriller as well in the jayvee contest that went back-and-forth in the final quarter, with Clearfield draining two final free-throws by Corey Shimmel to give the Bison a 46-42 triumph.
Sitting at 5-0, Clearfield is looking to finish out the first month of the season strong. Glunt may be early in his first season as lead man for the Bison squad; but he insisted that the victory was not a “defining win,” but one to build character, and one to build on as the season continues, because it is not letting up.
“I think it’s a big win, and helps us in the Mountain League, and District-IX in the playoff race. I wouldn’t call it a defining win, because I think every win is a defining win. They’re all hard, from Tyrone, to Central, Punxsutawney, every win or loss is defining.”
Clearfield is back on the home court on Monday night to face Punxsutawney.
SCORE BY QUARTER
Tyrone 13 12 16 20 – 61
Clearfield 10 23 22 24 – 79
Tyrone 61
Z. Soellner 1 0-0 2, Pa. Mitchell 1 0-0 2, Meredith 1 0-0 2, Brooks 6 2-3 18, Geis 1 0-0 2, N. Soellner 6 6-6 21, Lingafelt 3 0-0 7, Thomas 0 1-2 1, Lewis 0 0-0 0, Pr. Mitchell 0 0-0 0, Lewis 0 0-0 0, Politza 3 0-0 6, Anderson 0 0-0 0, Poliza 0 0-0 0. Totals 22 9-11 61
Clearfield 79
Heichel 0 0-0 0, Brown 1 0-0 2, Wilson 0 0-0 0, Shimmel 0 1-2 1, Strouse 0 2-3 2, Sellers 4 2-7 10, McKenzie 2 2-2 7, Wood 0 0-0 0, Hazel 8 0-0 19, Royer 0 0-0 0, Spaid 3 0-0 7, Myers 10 8-9 31. Totals 28 15-23 79
GAME STATISTICS
Tyrone/Clearfield
Field Goals Made-Attempted: 22-58/28-61
Team Fouls: 21/10
Rebounds: 18/44
Turnovers: 16/15
Three-Point Shots: Brooks (4), N .Soellner (3), Lingafelt/McKenzie, Hazel (3), Spaid, Myers (3)
Foul-Outs: Geis, Lingafelt, N. Soellner (Ejected-technicals)
Bison Scoreboard:
| Date | Opponent | Score | Record |
| 12/09 | CENTRAL | 54 – 50 | 1 – 0 |
| 12/12 | @ Huntingdon | 73 – 64 | 2 – 0 |
| 12/15 | @ Curwensville | 71 – 40 | 3 – 0 |
| 12/17 | @ Bellefonte | 53 – 31 | 4 – 0 |
| 12/19 | TYRONE | 79 – 61 | 5 – 0 |
| 12/22 | PUNXSUTAWNEY | ||
| 12/29 | Purchase Line Tourney vs. TBD | ||
| 12/30 | Purchase Line Tourney vs. TBD | ||
| 01/06 | @ Bald Eagle Area | ||
| 01/07 | @ Brookville | ||
| 01/09 | PENNS VALLEY | ||
| 01/14 | @ Philipsburg-Osceola | ||
| 01/16 | @ St. Marys | ||
| 01/19 | @ DuBois | ||
| 01/21 | @ Central | ||
| 01/23 | HUNTINGDON | ||
| 01/28 | BELLEFONTE | ||
| 01/30 | @ Tyrone | ||
| 02/03 | BALD EAGLE AREA | ||
| 02/06 | @ Penns Valley | ||
| 02/09 | CURWENSVILLE | ||
| 02/11 | PHILIPSBURG-OSCEOLA |