HYDE — The overtime thriller in their previous game against Philipsburg-Osceola was a game that showed the character that the Clearfield Bison basketball squad had all season. With the final seven games on the schedule coming over the next three weeks, a post-season push would mean they would need to show that character every time they are on the court. That potential post-season push began on Wednesday night when the Bison Gym welcomed in the top team this season in the Mountain League, the Golden Eagles of Tyrone.
Although the score remained tied after one quarter, the Golden Eagles showed why they are the best in the Mountain League this season over the final three quarters. Clearfield had no answer as Tyrone would drop the home squad, 67-49, handing Clearfield it’s seventh loss on the year, fifth in League action.
“Give Tyrone credit. They have a lot of skill, and hit a lot of threes on it,” a dejected head coach Nate Glunt said afterwards. “I thought we executed our game plan, but give them credit because they made those threes and were crashing the boards.
“We did a lot of things good, even though the score may not seem like it. Defensively we were in our gaps more, low in our stance. Offensively I think we were patient, limited our turnovers, so we are getting better.”
The first quarter could only be described as methodical on both sides of the ball, as both teams were looking for their opportunities to shoot, and took them when they were available. After one quarter of play, each team put up seven points, with no real way to tell who had the advantage. But, the second stanza saw Tyrone begin to find a way to take down Clearfield.
The man-to-man defense that Clearfield plays, one of only a few that do in the Mountain League, worked well to prevent baskets in the paint. But, the Golden Eagles used this to their advantage and got shots on the perimeter, whether at the top of the key, post, or baseline. Tyrone hit four shots from beyond three-point range, and then took advantage of a few Bison turnovers, to put 22 points on the board, and take a double-digit lead heading into halftime.
“It was a one-possession game there in the second quarter, and they finished with an 8-0 run. We came out in the third quarter, and we were missing our first five or six shots,” Glunt said. “They were good shots, they just didn’t go in.
“If you look at our second quarter, they scored 22. But they scored the last 10 in the last minute and a half. We had some communication issues, and they crashed the boards hard.”
Tyrone did more of the same in the second half, outscoring Clearfield 38-31 in the last 16 minutes. Brandon Lucas and Landon DeHaas, both limited in the first half, went off in the third and fourth quarters. Lucas finished with a game-high 20 points, plus eight rebounds, while DeHaas added in another 18, plus six assists.
For Clearfield, they had a consistent game from all their starters, as Andrew Lopez accounted for six assists, while Cade Walker dropped 15 points and five rebounds. It was Karson Rumsky that led both categories for the Bison on the night, bucketing 18 points, and finishing one rebound short of a double-double with nine. Walker also added in four blocks on a few close buckets in the paint.
The Bison did have some more excitement in the under card, winning the junior varsity contest, 48-47 on a late basket from Morgen Billotte with just a few seconds remaining.
Despite the loss, Glunt felt his team had performed well after being off the court since Friday, and immediately shifted his focus since the season was still not finished. Six more games remain on the schedule, with four of them being in the Mountain League, including their lone remaining game of the week.
“I think we played better, so we just have to get back to work tomorrow and get ready for Penns Valley,” Glunt said.
That game against the Rams for Clearfield will come on Friday night, with a tip off set for 6 p.m. for junior varsity action, and varsity to follow. Clearfield won the first meeting between back on January 7, a 50-38 game that saw Glunt get his 100th win as head coach.
SCORE BY QUARTER
Tyrone 7 22 14 24 – 67
Clearfield 7 11 8 23 – 49
Tyrone – 67
Gripp 4 2-3 14, Lucas 9 2-3 20, DeHaas 4 7-8 18, Hoover 0 0-0 0, Rhoades 1 5-6 7, Lang 2 0-0 6, Legars 0 0-0 0, Gampe 1 0-0 2, Gwinn 0 0-0 0, Johnson 0 0-0 0. TOTALS 21 16-20 67.
Clearfield – 49
Pallo 2 1-2 5, Walker 6 3-3 15, Rumsky 8 0-0 18, Lopez 1 0-1 2, Peacock 1 2-4 4, Winters 1 0-0 2, Miller 0 0-0 0, Ryan 0 0-0 0, Hudson 1 0-0 3, Gearhart 0 0-0 0, Billotte 0 0-0 0, Parkett 0 0-0 0. TOTALS 20 6-10 49.
GAME STATISTICS
Tyrone/Clearfield
Shooting: 21-41/20-49
Rebounds: 27/24
Fouls: 13/17
Turnovers: 10/14
Three-Point Shots: Gripp-4, DeHaas-3, Lang-2/Rumsky-2, Hudson
Bison Scoreboard:
| Date | 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 | 59 – 42 | 8 – 4 |
| 01/20 | DUBOIS | 58 – 70 | 8 – 5 |
| 01/21 | HUNTINGDON | 56 – 72 | 8 – 6 |
| 01/24 | @ Philipsburg-Osceola | 49 – 45 ot | 9 – 6 |
| 01/29 | TYRONE | 49 – 67 | 9 – 7 |
| 01/31 | @ Penns Valley | ||
| 02/03 | @ West Branch | ||
| 02/04 | CENTRAL | ||
| 02/07 | @ Bellefonte | ||
| 02/10 | @ Punxsutawney | ||
| 02/13 | CURWENSVILLE |