HYDE — District 9 champion Clearfield will be taking on a new-look Obama Academy team in their PIAA Class AAA boys basketball play-in rematch on the Clarion High School hardwood Thursday night.
While the Bison boast four starters and the three reserves from a year ago when they hung with the senior-laden District 8 representative until the final four minutes in a 66-52 loss, the Eagles are an all-underclassman unit.
Isaiah Prentice (5-11) and Nasir Tatum (6-2), two of nine juniors on the Obama Academy roster, started against the Bison that night but saw limited minutes and did not score.
A three-pointer by classmate Lenell Ptomey (6-1) was the lone basket not produced by a quartet of double-digit pointmakers who carried the Eagles to victory, two of them sophomores who did not return for this season.
Joining that trio on the floor for the 7:30 p.m. tipoff will be 6-5 junior Joseph Charlton and 6-0 junior Dana Strothers, who starred with 17 points and eight rebounds in Obama Academy’s 74-47 loss to Allderdice in the Pittsburgh City League championship game Saturday.
“Strothers can really shoot, and Charlton is a big guy who stays in the paint and basically protects the rim,” Clearfield coach Nate Glunt said. “And Ptomey plays bigger than 6-1.”
The Eagles, who won 11 of their last 15 games, average 60.7 points on offense and 56.5 on defense.
“They can shoot, so you just can’t leave them open, but they‘re really trying to attack the basket constantly,” Glunt said. “They‘re looking to set screens and get guys open for a jump shot, throw it inside to Charlton or driving to the basket.
“They’re different in their schemes from what we see in the regular season, but it’s not like this is foreign to us. We played teams with this style over the summer.”
Glunt’s scouting reports show the Eagles utilizing both man and zone defenses with an emphasis on full-court pressure and half-court traps.
“They’re really active in their 2-3 zone,” Glunt said. “If you break their trap, they’re good at converging so you don’t get an easy shot. And those guys who trap hustle out of it to get back in good, solid position.
“They’re well-coached.”
Five of the 14-7 Eagles’ defeats have been administered by once-beaten Allderdice, which is ranked No. 1 in Class AAAA in the state, and First Love Christian Academy, a first-year team located in Washington, Pa., that features nine international players with five standing 6-7 or taller.
Clearfield checks in with a 22-2 record, stumbling only at Punxsutawney in late December and at Central in a Feb. 1 shocker.
The Bison have scored at a 66.2 pace and limited opponents to 45 per game.
The mostly-junior lineup of Will Myers (417 points, 17.5 points per game), Tommy Hazel (300, 12.5 ppg), lone senior Cody Spaid (249, 11.3 ppg), Evan Brown (247, 10.3 ppg) and Dave McKenzie (144, 6.0 ppg) have accounted for 85 percent of their 1,589 points.
All were starters last year except Brown, who was the first guard off the bench.
Seniors Caleb Strouse and Carter Wood complete Clearfield’s seven-player rotation.
Myers had the hot hand against the Eagles last march with 27 points, while Spaid was stout in the low blocks with 15 points and 10 rebounds.
They were mainly responsible for the Bison being down only 52-48 with 3:49 remaining before the Eagle defense forced six turnovers in their next eight possessions.
“We didn’t finish well,” Glunt said. “We got in a hurry and started rushing.”
He views the rematch as an even game that, for the Bison, hinges on a good overall performance.
“We’ve gotta do all the little things right,” Glunt said. “We need to be strong with the ball and make good, solid passes. We can’t turn it over. And we have to make open shots.”
Good helpside defense and rebounding will be all-important, he added.
The winner will advance to the PIAA Tournament’s first round next week against the District 7 (WPIAL) third-place qualifier, either New Castle or Mars.
Bison Scoreboard:
| Date | Opponent | Score | Record |
| 12/07 | CURWENSVILLE | 76 – 35 | 1 – 0 |
| 12/09 | @ Central | ppd. | 1 – 0 |
| 12/11 | HUNTINGDON | 77 – 64 | 2 – 0 |
| 12/15 | BELLEFONTE | 44 – 30 | 3 – 0 |
| 12/16 | ST. MARYS | 68 – 59 | 4 – 0 |
| 12/18 | @ Tyrone | 59 – 50 | 5 – 0 |
| 12/21 | @ Punxsutawney | 48 – 66 | 5 – 1 |
| 12/23 | @ Bellefonte | 56 – 39 | 6 – 1 |
| 12/29&30 | Purchase Line Christmas Tourney | ||
| 12/29 | vs. Harmony | 60 – 30 | 7 – 1 |
| 12/30 | vs. Purchase Line | 63 – 24 | 8 – 1 |
| 01/05 | BROOKVILLE | 64 – 48 | 9 – 1 |
| 01/06 | BALD EAGLE AREA | 89 – 56 | 10 – 1 |
| 01/08 | @ Penns Valley | 58 – 49 | 11 – 1 |
| 01/12 | PHILIPSBURG-OSCEOLA | ppd. | 11 – 1 |
| 01/14 | PHILIPSBURG-OSCEOLA | 80 – 42 | 12 – 1 |
| 01/15 | CENTRAL | 67 – 50 | 13 – 1 |
| 01/18 | DUBOIS | 71 – 42 | 14 – 1 |
| 01/20 | @ Huntingdon | 92 – 48 | 15 – 1 |
| 01/26 | TYRONE | 57 – 47 | 16 – 1 |
| 01/29 | @ Bald Eage Area | 97 – 57 | 17 – 1 |
| 02/01 | @ Central | 57 – 64 | 17 – 2 |
| 02/03 | PENNS VALLEY | 44 – 37 | 18 – 2 |
| 02/05 | @ Philipsburg-Osceola | 75 – 27 | 19 – 2 |
| 02/08 | @ Curwensville | 72 – 39 | 20 – 2 |
| 02/17 | District 9 Semifinals | ||
| 02/17 | vs. BRADFORD | 59 – 34 | 21 – 2 |
| 02/19 | District 9 Championship | ||
| 02/19 | vs. St. Marys (@ Clarion U.) | 56 – 42 | 22 – 2 |
| 02/25 | PIAA Play-in Game | ||
| 02/25 | vs. Obama Academy (Clarion HS) |