HYDE — Finally returning home after a tough loss in the middle of the week, the Lady Bison were ready to get back on track as the season was drawing to a close. Even though there was likely no Mountain League title in sight, they were looking to pull a big upset on the Bison Gym hardwood.
Coming into town was the top team in the league, the Lady Golden Eagles of Tyrone. Clearfield knew the task was a challenging one, but they laced up their shoes and took to the court.
It didn’t take long to realize how talented Tyrone was, nor was it difficult to see how well they are coached. Every opportunity they had, the Lady Eagles took advantage. At the same time, Clearfield was having issues handling the ball, and making tough decisions, which led to turnovers and points in the other direction.
Tyrone was also successful in another aspect, as they were able to shoot from deep range, and increase the gap in points quickly. All that together meant the Lady Golden Eagles cruised to the 71-48 victory.
Head coach Joey Castagnolo afterwards showed the disappointment in his face, and knew what cost his team the win.
“It’s hard to come back. They score three, but then we come back and only score two. The math just doesn’t work out, and you’re fighting a losing battle,” he said. “Turnovers really cost us in the first half, and they capitalized on it. There’s a reason they’re undefeated in the league. That’s a good basketball team. They have a Division-II player, and she’s a 3-time Mountain League MVP, possibly a fourth (coming).
“We didn’t back down from them; I’m proud of that. I told the girls to walk away with their heads held high. We’re a little better than that with the basketball, and they know that.”
The night for Clearfield was filled with mistakes. In the first half, Clearfield committed 19 turnovers, much of which turned into points for Tyrone. At the end of the night, the 33 turnovers were just the beginning. Castagnolo was seeing his team both on offense and defense watch the ball go to the rim, but not go after the missed shots. The home squad was out-rebounded 37-26, and it ultimately led to some fast breaks for Tyrone.
“There was too much watching on the rebounds. We talked about that. It’s just with those turnovers, and that press of theirs. We should be more mature than that. It shouldn’t bother us like that, but it did,” Castagnolo said.
Tyrone did not make it easy when they were on offense, as they were able to shoot often, but unlike Clearfield, they were taking more chances from deep range, and many were successful.
The Lady Eagles hit 10 three-point shots, four of them coming from Kasey Engle, who finished the night with a game-high 23 points, plus six rebounds and assists. Joining her in double digits were Alexis Cannistrari and Sydney Shaw, each with 14 points and a pair of three-pointers each.
Clearfield did come out with many players having strong outings despite the loss. Nikki Chew had one of her best outings, securing a double-double with 12 points and 10 boards. She was three assists away from making it a triple-double on the night.
Castagnolo praised Chew for her effort, and also how the team continued to play their game despite being down by as much as 32 points.
“We never stopped playing. Nikki Chew just scrapped. We didn’t quit,” he said. “I’ve had teams in the past playing Tyrone get down by 30, they’d pack it in. But we didn’t, and I was proud of that.
“We still ran our fast break, and that’s our bread and butter.”
Brooke Cline added in 12 points, while Alayna Ryan had a strong night, leading the Bison with 14 points plus seven assists on the night.
Tyrone also took the opening junior varsity contest in a 60-16 game that ended under the Mercy Rule.
Castagnolo’s team now sits at 10-8, and 5-6 in the Mountain League. It has been a strong season for Clearfield, and their leader wants to finish the final four games of the year on a good note, as three of them are in the league. Only one of those games will be at home, but to him it is an important one on the team’s quest to finish out the year on a positive note.
“I’d like to run the table now. We (still) have Penns Valley that beat us a couple days ago, we have them here, and it’s a big revenge game since they put it to us down there,” Castagnolo said. “We should run the table, and finish out the season strong.”
Before that game can happen, Clearfield has a road trip to start off February as they will travel to Bald Eagle next Wednesday. Junior varsity action will start at 6 p.m. with the varsity contest to follow.
SCORE BY QUARTER
Tyrone 21 19 16 15 – 71
Clearfield 8 11 13 16 – 48
Tyrone – 71
Mauntz 1 0-0 3, Kosoglow 1 0-0 2, Miller 0 2-2 2, Fusca 0 0-3 0, Ronan 0 1-2 1, Wagner 0 0-0 0, Conrad 0 0-0 0, Engle 7 5-6 23, Cannistrari 6 0-1 14, Johnson 1 0-0 3, Shaw 6 0-0 14, Welsh 1 0-0 2, Lehman 3 1-2 7. TOTALS 26 9-16 71.
Clearfield – 48
Brossard 3 0-0 6, Chew 6 0-0 12, Cline 6 0-0 12, Ryan 7 0-1 14, Lindstrom 0 2-6 2, Gisewhite 0 0-0 0, Clark 0 0-0 0, McLain 0 0-0 0, Twigg 0 0-0 0, Miller 0 2-2 2. TOTALS 22 4-9 48.
GAME STATISTICS
Tyrone/Clearfield
Shooting: 26-67/22-63
Rebounds: 37/26
Fouls: 12/17
Turnovers: 25/33
Three-Point Baskets: Mauntz, Engle (4), Cannistrari (2), Johnson, Shaw (2)
Fouled Out: Brossard
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 | 23 – 36 | 8 – 6 |
| 01/20 | @ Huntingdon | 55 – 52 | 9 – 6 |
| 01/23 | @ Bellefonte | 39 – 34 | 10 – 6 |
| 01/25 | @ Penns Valley | 38 – 53 | 10 – 7 |
| 01/27 | TYRONE | 48 – 71 | 10 – 8 |
| 02/01 | @ Bald Eagle Area | ||
| 02/03 | PENNS VALLEY | ||
| 02/07 | PHILIPSBURG-OSCEOLA | ||
| 02/08 | @ Curwensville |