HYDE — Slowing down a high-scoring offense will be the Clearfield Area High School boys basketball team’s top priority Wednesday night when the second-seeded Bison host St. Marys in a District 9 Class AAAA semifinal game on the Bison Gymnasium hardwood.
Coach Nate Glunt ticked off transition defense and half-court defense as two of his four keys for the Bison, who carry a 13-9 record into the 7 p.m. tip-off as they begin their bid for a fourth consecutive district championship.
The Flying Dutch, winners in six of their last eight games, check in at 12-10 and scoring at a 64.6-point pace.
They reached the 80s in half of their wins, including 83-81 over Coudersport, the No. 2 seed in Class AA, just last week, so the Bison can’t afford to relax at any time.
“They can put the ball in the basket,” Glunt said. “We haven’t seen a team score 80 points that many times.”
He compared them to Huntingdon and Tyrone, the top two Mountain League finishers.
“They have good guard play,” he explained. “They try to space the floor and attack the basket. But they’ll take good threes, too. They do a good job on offense.”
Senior Nate Schneider is the Flying Dutch’s big gun.
The 6-2 guard has topped all District 9 scorers most of the season with an average hovering around 25 points a game.
“He’s an excellent shooter, good ballhandler and a smart player,” Glunt said.
Senior Jared Groll also averages in double figures and, like Schneider, is good for multiple three-pointers in most games.
Sophomore Cahil Parrish is third in scoring with more than six points per outing.
Seniors Jackson Lindemuth and Austin Goodrow and junior Anthony Cortina average close to four points.
Defensively, the Flying Dutch have allowed opponents to average 58.9 points.
“They‘re predominately man, and their kids play hard,” Glunt said. “They have quickness and speed and play at an excellent skill level.
Taking good shots and not turning the ball over will be all-important for the Bison offense, which has put up points at a 52.1 clip.
Senior Reese Wilson leads them with 11.9 points per game.
He’ll be joined in the starting lineup by classmates Jon Gates (8.7 ppg), Ryan Chew (7.0 ppg) and Wyatt Porter (5.1 ppg) and sophomore Cade Walker (9.3 ppg).
Sophomore Taye Lynch (5.4 ppg) and junior Keagan Hess (2.3 ppg) will be first off the bench, followed by freshmen Jake Lezzer and Karson Rumsky.
Glunt pointed out the Bison should be able to hold their own in a down-to-the-wire duel.
“We’ve had a lot of close games,” he said. “We played 17 games which came down to foul shots in the fourth quarter, and we were 11-6 in those games.”
A trio of District 9 teams are the only common opponents for the Bison and the Flying Dutch.
Clearfield defeated DuBois 69-60 in overtime and lost to Punxsutawney 68-54 and Brookville 40-38.
St. Marys split with Brookville, winning 83-57 and losing 67-54, and Punxsutawney, winning 64-45 and losing 60-58. The Flying Dutch lost twice to DuBois, 51-47 and 65-51, before beating the Beavers 69-65.
In the other District 9 Class AAAA semi Wednesday, No. 1 seed Bradford (13-8) will host Punxsutawney (11-11).
The site, date and time for the title game has not been scheduled.
Bison Scoreboard:
| Date | Opponent | Score | Record |
| 12/08 | CURWENSVILLE | 54 – 52 | 1 – 0 |
| 12/13 | CENTRAL | 45 – 56 | 1 – 1 |
| 12/15 | @ Huntingdon | 62 – 85 | 1 – 2 |
| 12/20 | @ Bellefonte | 50 – 41 | 2 – 2 |
| 12/28 | @ Purchase Line Christmas Tourney | ||
| 12/28 | vs. Harmony | 73-31 | 3 – 2 |
| 12/29 | @ Purchase Line Christmas Tourney | ||
| 12/29 | vs. Purchase Line | 45 – 56 | 3 – 3 |
| 01/05 | TYRONE | 56 – 63 | 3 – 4 |
| 01/08 | @ Punxsutawney | 54 – 68 | 3 – 5 |
| 01/10 | @ Bald Eagle Area | 56 – 45 | 4 – 5 |
| 01/12 | PENNS VALLEY | 40 – 28 | 5 – 5 |
| 01/15 | @ Clarion-Limestone | 57 – 41 | 6 – 5 |
| 01/16 | @ Philipsburg-Osceola | 49 – 42 | 7 – 5 |
| 01/19 | @ Central | 46 – 50 | 7 – 6 |
| 01/22 | DUBOIS | 69 – 60 ot | 8 – 6 |
| 01/24 | HUNTINGDON | 70 – 53 | 9 – 6 |
| 01/26 | BELLEFONTE | 42 – 35 ot | 10 – 6 |
| 01/30 | @ Tyrone | 43 – 75 | 10 – 7 |
| 02/01 | BROOKVILLE | 38 – 40 | 10 – 8 |
| 02/02 | BALD EAGLE AREA | 64 – 46 | 11 – 8 |
| 02/07 | @ Penns Valley | ppd. | 11 – 8 |
| 02/09 | PHILIPSBURG-OSCEOLA | 51 – 42 | 12 – 8 |
| 02/12 | @ Curwensville | 49 – 29 | 13 – 8 |
| 02/15 | @ Penns Valley | 36 – 38 | 13 – 9 |
| 02/21 | District 9 AAAA Semi-finals | ||
| 02/21 | ST. MARYS |