HYDE– For the first time in many years, the Lady Bison of Clearfield have a winning streak and a winning record heading into the second half of the season. Each game giving another opportunity to improve the record, and improve their chances in the playoffs at season’s end.
One of the most crucial games in the season came on Monday inside the Bison Gymnasium. Head coach Joey Castagnolo said for the last week that when the Lady Dutch of St. Mary’s came to play, that game could be the one to decide seeding and location for playoffs. So he wanted to be sure his team was ready to go, and on the opposite side St. Mary’s was set to end those hopes.
For the majority of the game, both teams found it hard not only scoring points, but also trying to penetrate two strong, and intense, defenses.
Through three quarters, neither team showed much of an advantage. It wasn’t until the final eight minutes that one team finally found a way to get points on the board, and take control. That team was clad in white, and capitalized on rebounds, fast breaks, and foul shooting. The Lady Bison kept their win streak alive, extending it to four consecutive games, with a scrappy, and challenging, 34-27 victory.
“St. Mary’s plays really good defense, and we had a difficult time with it through the first three quarters. What happened was we got a couple rebounds and were able to push the ball down the court, and I let my two girls have at it on those breaks,” Castagnolo said. “That was just picturesque.
“That was the difference. We got to run in the fourth quarter, and they couldn’t contain us. And I only played six girls, but they did the job.”
Early on, despite both teams having opportunities at the basket, neither seemed to find an advantage. After one quarter, the score was just 6-2 in favor of Clearfield. Had it not been for a pair of deep shots from Michelle Bauer and Kaylee Muccio, the score would not be a tight 12-10 contest at the half.
But what made the difference for Castagnolo was rebounds in the second half, and capitalizing on turnovers. A total of 11 turnovers between the end of the third and fourth quarters, all of which helped Clearfield out-score the visitors 22-17 in the second half.
Plus, Clearfield was able to hit their free throws when it mattered. With only 10 opportunities at the foul line on this night, making the free shots became more critical with each chance. Clearfield ended the night draining six of those shots, but five of them came in the fourth quarter.
“I’ll take in an intense game, with in-your-face defense and the girls getting exhausted, going 6-for-10 at the line is fine by me,” Castagnolo said.
Clearfield was led in points by Brooke Cline, who finished the night with the game-high 13. Alayna Ryan added in another 11 points. Ally Lindstrom added in nine points, but according to Castagnolo, had her best game of the year as she also had some some key steals, and scrapped on the floor attempting to get loose balls.
One player Castagnolo pointed out that also had a great game was Nikki Chew. She only accounted for one point, however her play on the boards was the difference, as she pulled down 13 rebounds, eight coming in the second half.
“She’s embarrassed that she didn’t score a lot of points, but I told her it didn’t matter; she did an excellent job tonight. That’s what these girls are realizing,” Castagnolo said. “Not everyone will score points, but it’s the rebounders, the hustle plays, the loose balls; it all comes together.”
St. Mary’s had two players in double figures, as Caitlyn Bankovich was one rebound short of a double-double, but pulled in 11 points, while Megan Quesenberry added in another 10.
St. Mary’s opened the night with a low-scoring victory in the jayvee game, 31-6.
Clearfield entered the night knowing this game had a lot on the line for them going forward. At the conclusion, it gave them an 8-5 record, a four-game winning streak, and now an advantage in the playoff seeding later in the year.
“It’s huge because of criteria for playoffs,” Castagnolo said. “Even if we tied for records (with St. Mary’s), head-to-head, it means we’ll play here. Personally, it’s big for me, because I’ve not beaten St. Mary’s in maybe 10 years.
“We really defended home court tonight. You have to. You can’t split at home, you must defend the home court.”
The Lady Bison now must take their win onto Wednesday night, as they will host the Central Lady Dragons. It was back on December 14 when the Dragons let loose an inner fire, defeating Clearfield at the Dragons’ home court, 64-24. Castagnolo is hoping for a different result, but knows the challenge will be difficult.
“Central is very good fundamentally. We’ll just see what happens,” he said.
Tip off is at 6 p.m. for junior varsity, with varsity to follow.
SCORE BY QUARTER
St. Mary’s 2 8 8 9 – 27
Clearfield 6 6 5 17 – 34
St. Mary’s – 27
Muccio 1 0-0 3, M. Bauer 1 0-0 3, Daniels 0 0-0 0, Foster 0 0-0 0, Bankovich 5 1-3 11, Schlimm 0 0-0 0, Quesenberg 3 4-8 10, Armanini 0 0-1 0, B. Bauer 0 0-0 0. TOTALS 10 5-12 27.
Clearfield – 34
Brossard 1 0-0 2, Chew 0 1-2 1, Cline 6 1-2 13, Ryan 4 1-2 9, Lindstrom 3 3-4 9, Twigg 0 0-0 0, Miller 0 0-0 0. TOTALS 14 6-10 34.
GAME STATISTICS
St. Mary’s/Clearfield
Shooting: 10-42/14-52
Rebounds: 30/25
Turnovers: 27/20
Fouls: 10/15
Three-Point Shots: Muccio, M. Bauer
Lady Bison Scoreboard:
| Date | Opponent | Score | Record |
| 12/09&10 | @ Brookville Tip-off Tourney | ||
| 12/09 | vs. Clarion-Limestone | 64 – 22 | 1 – 0 |
| 12/10 | vs. North Clarion | 39 – 51 | 1 – 1 |
| 12/14 | @ Central | 24 – 64 | 1 – 2 |
| 12/16 | HUNTINGDON | 43 – 35 | 2 – 2 |
| 12/19 | BELLEFONTE | 52 – 55 | 2 – 3 |
| 12/21 | @ Tyrone | 47 – 65 | 2 – 4 |
| 12/23 | DUBOIS | 52 – 45 | 3 – 4 |
| 12/28 | CURWENSVILLE | 52 – 51 | 4 – 4 |
| 01/03 | @ Punxsutawney | 33 – 50 | 4 – 5 |
| 01/06 | BALD EAGLE AREA | 46 – 27 | 5 – 5 |
| 01/09 | BROOKVILLE | 45 – 25 | 6 – 5 |
| 01/10 | @ Penns Valley | ppd. | 6 – 5 |
| 01/13 | PHILIPSBURG-OSCEOLA | 58 – 55 | 7 – 5 |
| 01/16 | ST. MARYS | 34 – 27 | 8 – 5 |
| 01/18 | CENTRAL | ||
| 01/20 | @ Huntingdon | ||
| 01/23 | @ Bellefonte | ||
| 01/25 | @ Penns Valley | ||
| 01/27 | TYRONE | ||
| 02/01 | @ Penns Valley | ||
| 02/03 | PENNS VALLEY | ||
| 02/07 | PHILIPSBURG-OSCEOLA | ||
| 02/08 | @ Curwensville |
