HYDE — With the sour taste still lingering from Friday’s overtime road loss at Central, the Clearfield Bison cagers hit their own hardwood in the Bison Gymnasium for another Mountain League tilt against the visiting Red Raiders of Bellefonte.
A slow start by both teams soon turned into a heated, closely contested game that at certain moments could have gone either way. Bellefonte kept it interesting in the waning moments, outscoring the Bison in the second half. But, thanks to some clutch shooting in the final quarter, Clearfield pulled out a 58-51 triumph to improve to 7-4 on the season.
Bison Head Coach Nate Glunt admitted that the game was not as easy as it appeared at times, as early in the game their senior center, Cade Walker, suddenly had a pair of fouls on him and he needed to be pulled, meaning the reach, height and inside game advantage suddenly shifted to the Red Raiders with their tall guards and forwards. But, a few players in his eyes stepped in to pick up the slack.
“I thought (Harrison) Peacock stepped up big when Cade got two fouls in the first minutes of the game. It was a great effort by the whole team,” he said. “With Cade going out, things are not as easy, we can’t collapse as much. The entire team stepped up, and extended the lead. Proud of the guys.”
Neither team found any true advantage after one quarter, with Bellefonte holding an 8-6 edge. But Clearfield was getting possession to start the second stanza, and that quarter things took a strong turn for the home squad as they dropped 16 points, with no bigger baskets than those from Cole Miller, who dropped in the first, and ultimately only, three-point shots to push the Bison lead into double figures. By the time the halftime buzzer sounded, Clearfield took the 22-14 lead and felt really good about where they were standing.
That second half saw both squads turn up the heat, as both pushed the defenses to their limits. But, while the scoring may not have been the advantage for the Bison in the second half, it was the play of Andrew Lopez and Karson Rumsky that made a big difference while Walker was on the sidelines.
Rumsky and Walker each finished with 15 points, but on this night it was Rumsky that crashed the boards better than any player on the court. He finished just short of a double-double, pulling in nine rebounds. Lopez finished with ten points, but added in another eight assists.
It was the play of Lopez that Glunt was proud of, even if he wasn’t adding points to the score, stating, “He does so many things without even scoring. He’s boxing out, handling the pressure and setting guys up. He’s getting better every day, and really coming on. I’m extremely happy for him.”
However, it wasn’t all peaches and cream for the Bison, as they continued to struggle at the foul line down the stretch, just as they did on Friday night against Central. For a long while, the Bison had trouble with their foul shot opportunities, and instead it was the Red Raiders taking advantage. In the fourth quarter, on the plus-one opportunities from Lopez and Walker, Bellefonte went down the court and saw Ben McCartney take full advantage. He alone scored 19 of his game-high 30 points in the final frame, pulling the Red Raiders to within two possessions.
But, when the double bonus came into effect for Clearfield, Walker, Peacock and Miller all made key shots to put the game out of reach late in the going.
“We got up 14 points but we knew they weren’t going to quit. We were able to figure out a way to win in the end,” Glunt said afterwards.
The junior varsity contest fell the way of the Bison as well, a 38-27 triumph.
At the midway point of the season, Clearfield sits 7-4, and 4-3 in Mountain League play. The road doesn’t get any easier as they return to the hardwood on Friday night in the Bison Gym to host Bald Eagle, a team they beat back on December 10, 56-38. Glunt spoke a lot about the defenses that he’s been seeing in league play this year, noting a common theme among many of the teams they face on two occasions.
“We are constantly seeing a 2:3 zone. That’s what our league is, a 2:3 zone league,” he said.Everyone does that except for us, Huntingdon, and Tyrone.
“They (Bald Eagle) ran a 1-3-1 against us the first time, so we gotta get ready for anything come Friday.”
That game is the second of a four-game home stretch for Clearfield, with the junior varsity contest set for a 6 p.m. tip. Varsity action will follow.
SCORE BY QUARTER
Bellefonte 8 6 14 23 – 51
Clearfield 6 16 16 20 – 58
Bellefonte – 51
Bauman 2 0-0 5, McCartney 9 6-9 30, Bernier 2 0-5 4, Eckley-Jones 0 0-0 0, Nadolsky 5 1-3 12, Grey 0 0-0 0, Corey 0 0-0 0, Kroell 0 0-0 0, Way 0 0-0 0, Brungad 0 0-0 0. TOTALS 20 7-17 51.
Clearfield – 58
Pallo 0 0-0 0, Walker 4 7-10 15, Rumsky 7 1-2 15, Lopez 3 4-10 10, Peacock 3 3-4 9, Winters 0 1-2 1, Miller 2 2-2 8, Ryan 0 0-0 0, Hudson 0 0-0 0, Gearhart 0 0-0 0, Billotte 0 0-0 0, Parkett 0 0-0 0. TOTALS 19 18-30 58.
GAME STATISTICS
Bellefonte/Clearfield
Shooting: 20-52/19-39
Rebounds: 23/23
Fouls: 19/13
Turnovers: 15/19
Three-Point Shots: Bauman, McCartney-4/Miller-2
Foul Out: Nadolsky
Bison Scoreboard:
| Opponent | Score | Record | |
| 12/06 | @ Curwensville | 82 – 31 | 1 – 0 |
| 12/10 | @ Bald Eagle Area | 56 – 38 | 2 – 0 |
| 12/13 | @ Huntingdon | 48 – 67 | 2 – 1 |
| 12/16 | @ Punxsutawney | ppd. | 2 – 1 |
| 12/18 | PHILIPSBURG-OSCEOLA | 55 – 32 | 3 – 1 |
| 12/20 | @ Tyrone | 60 – 90 | 3 – 2 |
| 12/27 | @ Purchase Line Christmas Tourney | ||
| 12/27 | vs. Purchase Line | 63 – 54 | 4 – 2 |
| 12/28 | vs. Ligonier Valley | 63 – 69 | 4 – 3 |
| 01/03 | OTTO-ELDRED | 65 – 40 | 5 – 3 |
| 01/07 | PENNS VALLEY | 50 – 38 | 6 – 3 |
| 01/10 | @ Central | 43 – 51 ot | 6 – 4 |
| 01/15 | BELLEFONTE | 58 – 51 | 7 – 4 |
| 01/17 | BALD EAGLE AREA | ||
| 01/20 | DUBOIS | ||
| 01/21 | HUNTINGDON | ||
| 01/24 | @ Philipsburg-Osceola | ||
| 01/29 | TYRONE | ||
| 01/31 | @ Penns Valley | ||
| 02/03 | @ West Branch | ||
| 02/04 | CENTRAL | ||
| 02/07 | @ Bellefonte | ||
| 02/10 | @ Punxsutawney | ||
| 02/13 | CURWENSVILLE |