HYDE — The 2014-2015 campaign for the Clearfield Bison basketball squad has been one that has seen many changes, and it’s become one to remember for the entire Clearfield population. The season started with a new head coach, new staff, and a young team that wanted to make an impact. Nearly three months later, not only has the team made an impact, but is on the cusp of a title.
Before the post-season would begin, one last game was left to be played. The Bison Gymnasium was set up for Senior Night. The statisticians were honored before the game, but the final one introduced would be the lone senior on the squad, Erik Sellers.
After he was welcomed to the crowd, he would join his team and prepare to get down to business as they were looking for a season sweep of the visiting Mounties of Philipsburg-Osceola.
What would happen on the court would be a game to remember for the senior that is planning on getting a political science degree and then venture off to law school. Sellers would have a night where he would be scoring points, helping teammates, and making an impact from opening tip until he exited the game. The entire squad fed off that energy and would put on a clinic as the Bison would take home the decisive 63-21 victory.
After the game, head coach Nate Glunt reflected not just on what Sellers did on this night, but also how the Clearfield faithful have rallied around the program the entire year.
“We’ve had unbelievable support from the community. You saw all the fans here tonight, our student section has been great. Overall as a program, we’re so thankful for the support they’ve given us. It’s awesome,” Glunt said afterward. “It was Senior Night; my wife and Kimmy Davis set the whole thing up and I think they did an excellent job.
“It was a real nice ceremony before the game started, then Erik (Sellers) played one of his better games of the season. It was a good night.”
The good night got off to a fast start for the Bison. Despite the Mounties scoring the opening basket, Clearfield would begin rattling off points left and right, not just from Sellers, but the entire team. However, the senior on the squad would shine above the rest.
Sellers would finish the night with 16 points, leading all scoring in the game. But, his fellow teammates would feed off that energy and play even harder. Center Cody Spaid would take the energy coming from Sellers and use it to his advantage as he played one of his best games of the year, putting up a double-double with 10 points and 16 rebounds. As a team, the Bison doubled up P-O in rebounds, while holding the entire squad to less than seven points in each quarter.
Glunt was extremely pleased with the play of his center, noting that this is when he’s beginning to see just how strong his tallest player is.
“Cody (Spaid) has been coming on at the right time,” he said. “You hope someone could peak at the end of the season, and he’s just starting to really get better, and it’s fun to watch.”
Will Myers also hit double figures as he added in another 10 points, plus five assists. Of the entire Clearfield squad, only one would not score a point.
Defensively, the Bison shut down P-O at each end of the court, forcing turnovers and contesting shots at every moment. The Mounties would finish the night shooting just 19 percent from the floor (9-for-48), and would not fair any better at the charity stripe as the visitors were only 3-for-14 at the free throw line.
The main offense from the Mounties came from Lewis Jones, who accounted for 12 points. In the first half, he would be the only one to score points for P-O as they entered halftime down 28-8. It would be just over two minutes left in the third quarter before Tanner Lamb would be the second Mountie to score a bucket, but by that time the game was out of reach.
Entering the final quarter, Glunt wanted to put his junior varsity squad in to finish the game, as they already opened the night with a 62-29 victory in the jayvee contest. However, after a turnover, he put Sellers back in for one possession, and he would help the younger players get to the basket before a foul was called on the floor. At that time, Caleb Strouse would be subbed in, and Sellers would walk off the court to a standing ovation from the crowd.
Still, with seven minutes left in the contest, the jayvee squad would put in a lot of effort, as they accounted for the final 15 points of the game for Clearfield. For Glunt, getting his younger players into the game was a big moment, one that they had earned and paid for long before he elected to have them hit the court.
“Those guys practice hard, and they deserve to play. They do an excellent job at practice, they work and get better. They came out tonight (in the fourth quarter) and played well,” Glunt said.
The Bison end their regular season with a 19-3 record, and now take on Punxsutawney in the Class AAA District IX Championship, something that the two schools did just a few months ago during football season. However, due to the way the schedule was made for both teams, the title game is set up to be played the final weekend of February, just over two weeks from now.
With no games slated in between the end of the regular season and the title game, Glunt made it clear what he was planning to do at practice so that his team was ready.
“What I want to do is go back to fundamentals; go back to the basics, because we have time now, and focus on the little things,” Glunt stated. “Just work to get better every single day.”
The District IX championship will be played either February 27 or 28. It will be at a neutral site, however the time and location will be determined at a later date.
SCORE BY QUARTERS
P-O 4 4 6 7 – 21
Clearfield 14 14 20 15 – 63
Philipsburg-Osceola 21
Belinda 0 0-2 0, Kerfoot 0 0-0 0, Conklin 0 0-0 0, Lamb 2 0-0 4, Fetters 0 2-4 2, Guelich 1 0-4 2, O’Neill 0 0-0 0, Webster 0 0-0 0, Durlin 0 0-0 0, Davis 0 0-0 0, Jones 6 0-0 12, Smith 0 0-0 0. TOTALS 9 3-14 21
Clearfield 63
Sorbera 1 1-2 4, Heichel 0 0-0 0, Brown 1 0-0 2, Wilson 2 0-0 5, Strouse 2 0-0 4, Sellers 6 4-6 16, Mckenzie 1 0-0 2, Wood 1 2-2 4, Hazel 2 2-4 6, Royer 0 0-0 0, Spaid 5 0-0 10, Myers 4 0-0 10. TOTALS 25 9-14 63
GAME STATISTICS
P-O/Clearfield
Field Goals Made-Attempted: 9-48/25-54
Team Fouls: 16/15
Rebounds: 21/43
Turnovers: 21/20
Three-Point Shots: None/Sorbera, Wilson, Myers (2)
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 | 57 – 47 | 6 – 0 |
| 12/29&30 | Purchase Line Tourney | ||
| 12/29 | vs. Purchase Line | 67 – 42 | 7 – 0 |
| 12/30 | vs. Bald Eagle Area | 77 – 72 | 8 – 0 |
| 01/06 | @ Bald Eagle Area | 79 – 56 | 9 – 0 |
| 01/07 | @ Brookville | 53 – 45 | 10 – 0 |
| 01/09 | PENNS VALLEY | ppd. | 10 – 0 |
| 01/12 | PENNS VALLEY | 49 – 61 | 10 – 1 |
| 01/14 | @ Philipsburg-Osceola | 64 – 27 | 11 – 1 |
| 01/16 | @ St. Marys | 66 – 62 | 12 – 1 |
| 01/19 | @ DuBois | 53 – 49 | 13 – 1 |
| 01/21 | @ Central | ppd. | 13 – 1 |
| 01/22 | @ Central | 44 – 25 | 14 – 1 |
| 01/23 | HUNTINGDON | 59 – 41 | 15 – 1 |
| 01/28 | BELLEFONTE | 53 – 28 | 16 – 1 |
| 01/30 | @ Tyrone | 42 – 47 | 16 – 2 |
| 02/03 | BALD EAGLE AREA | 62 – 49 | 17 – 2 |
| 02/06 | @ Penns Valley | 57 – 63 | 17 – 3 |
| 02/09 | CURWENSVILLE | 64 – 36 | 18 – 3 |
| 02/10 | PHILIPSBURG-OSCEOLA | 63 – 21 | 19 – 3 |
| TBD | District 9 Championship Game | ||
| TBD | vs. Punxsutawney |