Physical Play and Foul Shooting Give Lady Bison Win Over Bald Eagle

HYDE — With very little time to recoup, the Lady Bison of Clearfield had to get prepared to head back onto the court on Friday night following their game against Tyrone just two nights ago.  That meant little rest to get things back in order in hopes of getting back on the winning track.

Across the court were the Lady Eagles of Bald Eagle, hoping to avenge an early season loss against Clearfield.

Things quickly got a little physical between the two squads.  It then became very physical, with each team trading foul after foul, and even saw the trainers come out on a few occasions to check on players.  Both teams would get physical, unintentionally, but it would ultimately be one key deciding factor in the game.  The Lady Bison took advantage of the fouls at the charity stripe, especially in the second half, and used it to fuel them to the 60-30 victory.

Head coach Joey Castagnolo knew the game was going to be a tough one, especially with little recovery time from their last game.  Add in the physical play, and it made for a tough game.

“I was really worried.  We played really well down at Tyrone, and I was really worried about a let-down,” Castagnolo said.  “But we came out a little slow, however took care of business in the first half.  I knew it was going to be physical.

“I didn’t want to play down to their level.”

The level that Castagnolo spoke of was being so physical it would get his team in trouble.  Bald Eagle had a tough time controlling both themselves and the ball, as they would commit 32 turnovers on the night, and be called for 25 fouls in the game.  Most of those fouls sent Clearfield to the line a total of 39 times, with 23 points coming from it.  At the same time, the Lady Bison were tough when trying to defend their basket, taking advantage with key defensive rebounds, and limiting the Lady Eagles in buckets.

Bald Eagle ended the night 10-for-64 in shooting, including going 0-for-14 on the floor in the second quarter.  Castagnolo believed that the pace of the game effected his team just as much as his opposition, but his defensive scheme played to an advantage.

“We played to that tempo, but I don’t like that tempo.  All in all, we went to the line, and we made them,” Castagnolo said.  “I thought we played very good defense, and against teams that don’t shoot that well, my zone works really well.

“We played tenacious defense.  The blocked shots got the crowd into it, and they just fed off that.”

Bald Eagle was paced by Morgan Chambers who finished even on the board and points with nine a piece, while Lexi Turner added in six rebounds.

Meanwhile, the Lady Bison rebounds came quick and often, as they would account for 45 boards when the final buzzer sounded.  Rachel Glenny would lead the team with 13 boards, and made it a double-double on the night with 16 points.  Emily Ryan added in 11 points, and Ally Lindstrom accounted for 10 rebounds.  Castagnolo also was pleased with the play of his bench, with Nikki Brossard and Emily Chew adding in four and six points, respectively.

That kind of play made it easier for the starting squad as they would get the opportunity to take a well-deserved rest at the end of the game.

“We ran the floor well, and Rachel was tired.  We had a real physical game against Tyrone, and I thought she played alright despite being tired,” Castagnolo said.  “I thought my bench did a nice job.  I wanted to give a rest for my starters, give them a ‘curtain call’ at the end.

“That’s what it’s all about in high school sports.  The kids, I think, had some fun.”

Clearfield also won the junior varsity game to start the night in a 41-22 final.

The Lady Bison (9-10) will close out the regular season next week starting with their final road game on Tuesday against Penns Valley.  They will then return back to the Bison Gym on Wednesday to host Curwensville in a special “Light It Up Blue” Night to raise money for Autism Awareness.  The Lady Bison beat the Lady Tide back on December 29, 63-24.  The regular season will conclude next Friday when Philipsburg-Osceola travels to face Clearfield, hoping to avenge a 43-38 loss from January 13 when the Lady Bison went on an 18-0 run over the final five minutes.

All games are slated for a tip-off at 6 p.m. for the jayvee game, with varsity to follow.

GAME NOTES:  The 39 free-throw attempts for Clearfield are a season high; Both squads combined to attempt 132 shots on the basket, plus combined for 56 free throw attempts.

SCORE BY QUARTER

Bald Eagle  10   3   8   9  –  30
Clearfield  16   15   16   13  –  60

Bald Eagle 30

Cingle 2 0-0 6, Weller 0 0-0 0, Watkins 0 0-0 0, Chambers 3 3-4 9, McCasein 1 2-4 4, Veneziano 0 0-0 0, Ward 2 0-2 5, Bucha 0 1-2 1, McCalley 1 0-0 2, Turner 1 1-4 3.  TOTALS 10 7-16 30.

Clearfield 60

Castagnolo 2 1-2 7, Cline 3 0-0 6, E. Ryan 3 4-8 11, Lindstrom 2 4-6 8, Chew 1 4-5 6, A. Ryan 1 0-0 2, Glenny 4 8-16 16, Lansberry 0 0-0 0.  TOTALS 16 23-39 60.

GAME STATISTICS
Bald Eagle/Clearfield

Rebounds:  26/45

Turnovers:  32/25

Fouls:  25/19

Shooting:  10-64/16-68

Three-Point Shots:  Ward, Cingle (2)/Castagnolo (2), E. Ryan

Technical Fouls:  McCalley

Foul Outs:  Bucha

Lady Bison Scoreboard:

Date Opponent Score Record
12/04&05 @ Brookville Tip-off Tourney
12/04 vs. North Clarion 45 – 50 0 – 1
12/05 vs. Clarion-Limestone 64 – 24 1 – 1
12/08 CENTRAL 41 – 52 1 – 2
12/11 @ Huntingdon 41 – 28 2 – 2
12/14 @ DuBois 40 – 51 2 – 3
12/16 @ Bellefonte 48 – 47 3 – 3
12/18 TYRONE 40 – 66 3 – 4
12/21 BROOKVILLE 50 – 59 3 – 5
12/29 @ Curwensville 63 – 24 4 – 5
01/04 PUNXSUTAWNEY 43 – 55 4 – 6
01/05 @ Bald Eagle Area 53 – 40 5 – 6
01/08 PENNS VALLEY 42 – 70 5 – 7
01/13 @ Philipsburg-Osceola 42 – 38 6 – 7
01/15 @ Central 26 – 51 6 – 8
01/18 @ St. Marys 30 – 32 6 – 9
01/19 HUNTINGDON 47 – 34 7 – 9
01/22 BELLEFONTE 52 – 43 8 – 9
01/27 @ Tyrone 48 – 62 8 – 10
01/29 BALD EAGLE AREA 60 – 30 9 – 10
02/02 @ Penns Valley
02/04 CURWENSVILLE
02/05 PHILIPSBURG-OSCEOLA