CURWENSVILLE-A packed house inside Patton Hall was in for a post-holiday treat as the annual encounter between the Lady Bison of Clearfield and the Curwensville Lady Tide would be a gift for both sides of the court. From tip-off to final buzzer, the two squads would keep it close, and interesting. Both teams even had high statistics for a pair of players.
But, Curwensville’s second half was the major deciding factor, as poor ball handling, and struggles getting shots, would lead to more opportunities for the Bison. The final tally would go in favor for the visitors, 40-24, giving Clearfield it’s second win on the season.
We were happy, but we just need to pick up the point (totals). Alyssa (Bakaysa) had a good night with 12 points, but we need to pick up the scoring for everyone else,” Curwensville coach Bob Desmitt said after the game.
Bakaysa had herself a night, with a rare high school triple-double, as she finished with 12 points, 16 rebounds, and 12 blocks.
It wasn’t all pretty for Curwensville to start, as they would fall behind 7-0 to start the contest. But, a three-pointer from Skylar Pentz got it going for the home squad, and it started a run to give the Lady Tide a lead heading into the second quarter. Clearfield, to their credit, battled back hard in the paint, as the to would trade missed shots, and rebounds. Along with Bakaysa, Curwensville’s Kyra Henry hit double digits on the boards, pulling down 10 rebounds on the night despite being shut out in scoring.
What Clearfield’s problem was all night was not getting the shots to go in, as they finished the night an abysmal 15-for-75 from the floor, something that Clearfield head coach Missy Helsel knew would not be good with teams they have coming up.
“It was a grind. We are certainly working on layups at practice,” Helsel said. “She (Bakaysa) is a big presence, and we knew that coming in. We had a lot of shots also on the inside and around the key that just didn’t fall for us either. But Cayleigh Walker did an outstanding job battling inside against Bakaysa, and didn’t back down.”
Walker herself would have a night, as she would contribute a double-double for the Lady Bison, finishing with a game-high 17 points, plus 13 rebounds.
The game remained closed through the second quarter, as Clearfield held a slim two-point advantage into halftime. But, emerging from the second quarter, the advantage began falling squarely into the hands of Clearfield as the Lady Tide found some trouble in the ball-handling area, committing 10 of their 29 turnovers in the frame. Despite the turnovers, Clearfield still could not get a bucket, as only four shots made it through the net. At the same time, Curwensville was not getting opportunities, with only 16 shots in the second half. Still, despite the struggles, Curwensville found itself down 25-21 entering the final quarter.
Unfortunately for the Tide, that final quarter was the ultimate undoing.
Curwensville struggled for the entire quarter to get a basket, failing to get a shot to go in. When the opportunity came for free throws, the Tide went 3-for-8 in the final eight minutes, which were the only points scored by the home team in the final stanza.
Desmitt admitted that the pressure Clearfield was giving in the second half led to a lot of miscues, stating, “We couldn’t control the ball. Clearfield played a good game. I feel bad for Alyssa, especially when you put in that kind of effort, but she will take that kind of night, we just wish it was in a win.
On the opposing end, the defensive pressure according to Helsel was the focus, saying, “We knew coming out of halftime we had to turn it up a notch (on defense), and let them create some turnovers.”
But, despite the struggles shooting in the contest, Helsel knew all it would take was one player to make a shot, and that in the end helped the Bison pull away.
“We don’t know who (the shots) will come from on any given night, but that is what’s so nice about this group of kids. They all contribute, and I tell them the way you get hot in basketball is to keep shooting,” she said. “You could miss all night, but the only way you get confident is to keep shooting.”
Clearfield would also win the opening junior varsity contest, 27-13.
Both squads have the remainder of the week off, as each completed the 2021 stretch of the season on Wednesday. Clearfield (3-5) will try to get it’s first home win of the season when they return to the Bison Gym on Tuesday, January 4, to host Tyrone. Curwensville (3-3) is in action on the same night, playing host to Bellwood-Antis. Both games are slated for a 6 p.m. start for junior varsity, with the varsity game to follow at 7:30 p.m.
SCORE BY QUARTER
Clearfield 7 10 8 15 – 40
Curwensville 7 8 6 3 – 24
Clearfield – 40
Emma Hipps 3 1-1 8, Lauryn Kitchen 2 1-2 6, Riley Ryen 0 2-2 2, Cayleigh Walker 7 3-6 17, Alayna Winters 2 0-2 4, Hannah Glunt 1 1-5 3, Kinsley Reed 0 0-0 0. TOTALS 15 8-17 40.
Curwensville – 24
Alyssa Bakaysa 5 1-2 12, Kyra Henry 0 0-2 0, Austyn Guiher 0 0-0 0, Joslynee Freyer 0 5-8 5, Skylar Pentz 2 1-2 6, Karleigh Freyer 0 1-2 1, Jaiden Weber 0 0-0 0, Savannah Carfley 0 0-0 0, Desarray Cossar 0 0-0 0, Rachelle Anderson 0 0-0 0. TOTALS 7 8-16 24.
GAME STATISTICS
Clearfield/Curwensville
Shooting: 15-75/7-46
Rebounds: 37/41
Fouls: 15/15
Turnovers: 16/29
Three-Point Shots: Hipps, Kitchen/Bakaysa, Pentz
Foul Out: Henry
