WINGATE — Bald Eagle Area effectively utilized a slowdown offense and cashed five free throws in the final minute to hand the visiting Clearfield Area High School girls basketball team a 31-27 loss in a Mountain League opener Tuesday night.
“They dictated and controlled the tempo, and that was the difference,” Lady Bison coach Joey Castagnolo said. “They kept passing the ball around the perimeter looking for the good shot.”
Neither team could make a lengthy run, each breaking into double figures in only one period.
The Lady Bison (1-2) had their 11-pointer in the second quarter for a 15-13 halftime lead, but the Lady Eagles matched that in the third period to go up 24-23.
With Clearfield ahead 27-26 just past the midway mark of the final period, Bald Eagle Area stuck with its patient offense and held the ball for more than two minutes before Lacee Barnhart drove to the basket and drew a foul.
She converted both free throws to put the Lady Eagles in front and, after a Lady Bison miss, returned to the foul line to make two more shots.
Following another Lady Bison miss, Lexi Skripek sealed it for BEA with another foul shot.
Barnhart paced the Lady Eagles with 16 points.
Alayna Ryan was high for Clearfield with nine points. She also had five assists and seven steals.
Tesa Miller recorded 10 rebounds.
The Lady Bison will play their fourth road game in a row at Huntingdon Friday night.
Led by Kylie Van Tassel’s eight points, Clearfield prevailed, 15-6, in the junior varsity game that was shortened to five-minute quarters because BEA was short of players.
CLEARFIELD — 27
Megan Durandetta 0 0-0 0, Emma Hipps 1 0-0 3, Faith Ogden 2 0-0 4, Tesa Miller 2 1-2 5, Alayna Ryan 3 3-7 9, Olivia Bender 2 0-0 4, Adrian Rowles 0 0-0 0, McLain Alt 0 0-0 0, Paige Rhine 1 0-0 2, Kylie Van Tassel 0 0-0 0. TOTALS: 11 4-9 27.
BALD EAGLE AREA — 31
Lacee Barnhart 5 4-4 16, Lexi Skripek 0 1-2 1, Madison Perry 2 0-0 5, Rachel Veneziano 0 0-0 0, Kaleigh Cunningham 2 1-4 5, Sarah Holler 1 2-2 4. TOTALS: 10 8-12 31.
Three-Point Field Goals – Clearfield 1 (Hipps); Bald Eagle Area (Barnhart 2, Perry 1).
Score by Quarters
Clearfield 4 11 8 4 – 27
Bald Eagle Area 7 6 11 7 – 31
Lady Bison Scoreboard:
Date Opponent Score Record
12/07 & 08 @ Brookville Tip-off Tourney
12/07 vs. Brookville 30 – 54 0 – 1
12/08 vs. Clarion-Limestone 58 – 30 1 – 1
12/11 @ Bald Eagle Area 27 – 31 1 – 2
12/14 @ Huntingdon
12/17 BROOKVILLE
12/19 PHILIPSBURG-OSCEOLA
12/21 @ Tyrone
12/27 CURWENSVILLE
01/04 @ Punxsutawney
01/08 PENNS VALLEY
01/11 @ Central
01/14 DUBOIS
01/16 BELLEFONTE
01/18 BALD EAGLE AREA
01/22 HUNTINGDON
01/23 ST. MARYS
01/25 @ Philipsburg-Osceola
01/30 TYRONE
02/01 @ Penns Valley
02/05 CENTRAL
02/08 @ Bellefonte
02/12 @ Curwensville
