HYDE — Only eight minutes into competition inside the Bison Gymnasium on Friday night, the home standing Bison seemed to be as cold as the frigid temperatures outside. Nothing was going right, frustration was mounting, and something needed to change. The opposing Mounties of Philipsburg-Osceola were dominating in every fashion of the game. The Clearfield coaching staff needed to adjust their game plan, the players needed to adjust their demeanor, and the fans needed to change their thoughts that this game was a rout.
Not only did something change, but everything suddenly went in the favor of the home squad. After falling down by 14 at its peak, Clearfield powered back and won the final 24 minutes of action, pulling off a stunning 59-50 thriller in front of a packed house.
“Another Mountain League game, that’s exactly what it was. They’re all tough,” head coach Nate Glunt said afterwards, almost in a sense of relief. “You know, yesterday we couldn’t practice because of the early dismissal, and obviously neither did they (P-O). But we came out flat footed in the first.
“Matt Pallo, if he doesn’t score (those six points), we might’ve been shut out, 20-0. I give our kids credit, they never quit.”
It was looking bleak early in the game when P-O went on an 8-0 run to start the game before Glunt called timeout. Pallo came out of that timeout and hit a pair of three-pointers from the right post then the top of the key to get Clearfield on the board. But P-O held a strong advantage after the first eight minutes thanks to Ryan Whitehead, who at 6-foot 8-inches overshadowed every player on the court.
He would score the game’s first four points, ending the first quarter with 13 of the team’s 20 points, allowing them to have a solid gap heading into the second stanza.
But something seemed to happen when Clearfield got the ball back to start the second quarter, as they suddenly found opportunities, and began finding lanes to the baskket. Cade Walker had a monster second quarter, hitting three inside shots plus free throws to account for nine points. Keagan Hess added in a trey of his own, along with a third one from Rumsky.
Clearfield doubled up P-O in the second quarter, 18-9, including a run of 7-2 just prior to the five minute mark before P-O used its first timeout. Headed into the halftime break, the Bison were only down four, and seemed to find their rhythm.
“We were able to get penetration inside. When we get inside, good things happen,” Glunt said. “Cade was physical in the second quarter. I challenged him heading into the third quarter, and he got even more aggressive.”
The Bison found a big advantage in the second half in rebounding. Despite Whitehead being able to pull down 12 boards by night’s end, part of his double-double effort with a game-high 29 points, Clearfield attacked the boards more in the final 16 minutes, holding P-O to just 12 while getting 17 of their own.
“I said (to the kids) if we don’t win the rebounds in the second half, we’re going to struggle. They stepped up, and when we got the ball, we worked inside,” Glunt said.
Both teams combined for just 17 points in the third quarter, but Clearfield still found themselves with just a four-point gap to work with. The final quarter was the one needed to close it out, and Clearfield found a way to push P-O to the limit in a matter of moments.
The first possession saw Karson Rumsky cut the lead to just one, but P-O answered back when Whitehead found himself on a three-point play thanks to a foul by Andrew Lopez. The two went back-and-forth for just over two minutes when finally, at the 5:34 mark in the quarter, Clearfield achieved its first lead thanks to a deep ball from Lopez at the post.
At that point it became a game of who can make the needed shots, especially at the free-throw line.
By the time the fourth quarter began, Clearfield already had the bonus opportunity, but it did not take long to have Clearfield get the second bonus as Isiah Scalzo committed back-to-back fouls to allow Lopez and Walker some opportunities at the line.
The major change in the game came on a tough play by Taye Lynch, as he was the receiver of a pass from Rumsky on a break down the left side of the court.
He found a lane and went to the basket, challenging Whitehead for the opportunity. Whitehead seemed to catch the senior to purposely make him avoid the shot, and when the ball was in the air, he took a hard tumble. Two whistles blew, yet somehow the ball found it’s way to the rim and through. One official signaled the good bucket, while another threw up the “X” symbol. Whitehead was given a flagrant foul, giving Clearfield a major opportunity to almost max out on points.
Lynch’s basket counted, and he still had the follow-up free throw. He also got a second opportunity because of the flagrant foul, and Clearfield kept possession of the ball. Although he missed the second foul shot, Clearfield iced it with an additional three foul shots thanks to Rumsky and Lopez.
Walker finished the night with a team-high 18 points and eight rebounds, while Rumsky added in 16 points and eight boards, plus a trifecta of steals.
Glunt was exhausted after the game, especially after the long week of games with the pair of road trips to start the week. The Mountain League schedule for his team this year has been tough in his eyes, saying, “It’s a grind. I mean P-O is winless in the Mountain League, and they’re a good team. It’s a very competitive conference this year.”
Clearfield also opened the night with a 50-32 victory in the junior varsity game.
Now at 9-8, the remaining part of the Bison schedule is a bit easier as they only have two-game weeks from here on, with a few days in between to refresh and practice. Glunt was talking about preparation after the victory, specifically what he needs to do as a coach to get his team prepared right at the tip.
“All the coaches were on me about practicing too long, so I started to cut back a bit. But, when the kids practice that hard, they are well conditioned. You get late into these games, these kids are still looking fresh, making those three’s and getting penetration,” he said. “I have to do a better job getting us prepared for the first quarter. We’re going to change some things in warm ups, and at practice.
“We can’t keep putting ourselves in a hole, because we may not come out of it.”
Clearfield is back in action on Monday night as they will travel to face the Golden Eagles of Tyrone, with a 6 p.m. tip off for junior varsity and varsity to follow 15 minutes after that game concludes. Tyrone won the first game between the two in the Bison Gym, 50-42, on December 21.
SCORE BY QUARTER
Philipsburg-Osceola 20 9 8 13 – 50
Clearfield 6 18 9 26 – 59
Philipsburg-Osceola – 50
Jones 3 2-3 8, Doyle 1 0-2 2, Slogosky 0 0-0 0, R. Whitehead 13 1-3 29, Scalzo 1 0-0 3, J. Whitehead 1 2-2 4, Kephart 2 0-0 4, Collins 0 0-0 0. TOTALS 21 5-10 50.
Clearfield – 59
Lynch 1 3-4 5, Hess 2 0-0 6, Walker 7 4-7 18, Winters 0 0-0 0, Peacock 0 0-0 0, Pallo 3 0-0 9, Rumsky 5 3-4 16, Lopez 1 2-6 5. TOTALS 19 12-21 59.
GAME STATISTICS
Philipsburg-Osceola/Clearfield
Shooting: 21-53/9-45
Rebounds: 25/32
Fouls: 21/12
Turnovers: 15/17
Three-Point Shots: R. Whitehead (2), Scalzo, Doyle/Hess (2), Rumsky (3), Lopez, Pallo (3)
Foul Out: Jones, Doyle
Flagrant Fouls: R. Whitehead
Bison Scoreboard:
Date Opponent Score Record
12/07 CURWENSVILLE 77 – 32 1 – 0
12/10 WEST BRANCH 57 – 33 2 – 0
12/12 BALD EAGLE AREA 73 – 48 3 – 0
12/14 HUNTINGDON 53 – 63 3 – 1
12/17 @ Philipsburg-Osceola 64 – 47 4 – 1
12/21 TYRONE 42 – 50 4 – 2
12/27 @ Purchase Line Tourney
12/27 vs. Ligonier Valley 78 – 80 4 – 3
12/28 vs. Harmony 83 – 56 5 – 3
01/04 @ Brookville 48 – 53 5 – 4
01/07 PUNXSUTAWNEY 56 – 50 6 – 4
01/09 @ Penns Valley 47 – 59 6 – 5
01/11 CENTRAL 44 – 53 6 – 6
01/15 @ Bellefonte 78 – 56 6 – 7
01/18 @ Bald Eagle Area 57 – 55 7 – 7
01/21 @ DuBois 51 – 49 8 – 7
01/23 @ Huntingdon 48 – 87 8 – 8
01/25 PHILIPSBURG-OSCEOLA 59 – 50 9 – 8
01/29 @ Tyrone
02/01 PENNS VALLEY
02/06 @ Central
02/08 BELLEFONTE
02/13 @ Curwensville