HYDE — Finally getting that first win on the home court the night before certainly had the Clearfield Lady Bison feeling really strong. The triumph over DuBois, sadly, had to be forgotten about by the time the team woke up the next morning. No rest came for the weary as Clearfield had to prepare to welcome in Mountain League foe Penns Valley on Friday night.
The rest for the weary led into a game that looked to be a runaway, then quickly changed into a contest that got slightly physical, and highly contested. It was so contested, the lead would go back-and-forth to the point after 32 minutes, no winner was determined. Unfortunately for Clearfield, that back-and-forth play wore them down, and fatigue set in late as the Lady Rams would hand the home squad a 45-37 overtime loss that clearly was a game that got away.
“I tell you what, our girls battled right to the end,” head coach Missy Helsel said afterwards, while nearly out of breath. “That’s our first overtime game of the year. I think all our kids were effected at the end of the game, and you could see fatigue was setting in. We battled hard last night against DuBois, and we knew this one was going to be a battle as well.”
Clearfield got started quickly as they launched out to the early 7-0 run before the Lady Rams got on the board, the Bison finishing the first quarter with a 12-5 lead. After the Lady Bison extended the lead out to double digits, Penns Valley began plugging away, getting to within three points at a couple moments right before halftime. The hardest part for the visitors was they got into early foul trouble, committing nine in the first quarter alone, and gave Clearfield opportunities at the foul line. Sadly for the hosts, those free chances were not falling, as Clearfield only went 12-for-26 at the charity stripe.
Still, heading into halftime, the Lady Bison held a 23-20 lead, while Penns Valley saw three of its starters faced with three fouls each.
The third quarter could be described as the game that defined the night because Penns Valley came out hard, and quickly established that the game was not over until the last buzzer sounded. The two would go toe-to-toe the entire third quarter, with Clearfield barely holding the lead in the final seconds. But, an in-bounds pass that left Julie Emel open at the buzzer for a three-pointer from the wing would go through the net, and lit up the sideline.
Helsel could see that the Rams were coming on strong in the second quarter, and her squad was having trouble keeping up with the changes.
“I think the press defense effected us again. We have to work on handling that pressure better than we have the last couple games,” she said. “Plus, our foul shooting wasn’t there.”
Despite the pressure, the Lady Bison were battling hard in the paint, as was seen by Hannah Glunt who pulled down a game-high 16 rebounds. Those rebounds on the defensive side allowed Clearfield to stay in the game as the fourth quarter waned on. Emma Hipps, who finished with a double-double courtesy of a team-high 12 points and 11 rebounds, struggled in the fourth quarter, held to just a single free throw. But, the inside play of Cayleigh Walker helped pull the game to 37-35 late in the going. However, the play of the night came from Glunt, who tried for an inside hook shot with a couple defenders on her. The officials called a foul with just under 20 seconds remaining, sending her to the line.
With her dad in the crowd, boys basketball coach Nate Glunt, she would drill both shots, and that meant the squads had to battle right to the final buzzer. Penns Valley called timeout with just over seven seconds remaining to hold the possession, and what ensued for the final seconds of regulation had the crowd both upset, and anxious.
The inbounds pass from Cate Goodwin found Kailen Winkelblech, who finished with a game-high 19 points, and got a shot in the paint. The ball bounced off the rim, but Ann-Marie McMurtrie got the rebound and another shot, and it wouldn’t go in. The fight for the ball lasted with one last shot from Winkelblech, but it bounced off the rim and out as the buzzer sounded. The crowd could see Helsel mouth, “Oh thank God,” as though she was happy to go into overtime and anxious since all three shots were looking like they were possibly going in.
With another timeout given to each squad, the two came back on the floor ready for another four minutes of basketball, and in those minutes, it became about domination, and simply missed chances.
Clearfield had eight shots at the basket in the extra frame, three coming from Hipps on a trio of dishes inside, and despite the good looks, none of the shots fell. When Clearfield missed the opening tip, the quick layup from Winkelblech put the Rams up, 39-37, and forced Clearfield to foul to get possessions as they were not getting immediate baskets. That tactic worked as Katie Ronig missed her shot on a 1-and-1 opportunity, but the inside shot that followed from Walker fell off the backboard and off the rim. Shortly after, Goodwin had both her free throws not make it in, but the two shots that followed from Glunt and Alayna Winters both were just short.
Penns Valley would make four of i’s five shots in the added four minutes, the best average they had all game. Neither team was strong from the floor, with the Rams only 17-for-74, while Clearfield was 11-for-60.
Clearfield managed to pull off a come-from-behind win in the junior varsity game to start the night, 30-29, where they took the lead for the first and only time with just under 20 seconds remaining.
While her players were trying to contain their emotions after the game, everyone could see that this one hurt. Walker in tears, Hipps the same with a red face, and the dejected demeanor of the Lady Bison said a lot. What Helsel saw from those emotions was a team that knows it can win the tight games if some shots went differently.
“If any of those shots in the fourth quarter or overtime went in, we’d have a much different game. This team can battle,” she said.
That battle continues for the Lady Bison (5-7) on Monday as, weather permitting, they will play host to the Philipsburg-Osceola Lady Mounties. The two squads met back on December 14, with Clearfield taking the 69-32 win, the first for Helsel as head coach.
SCORE BY QUARTER
Penns Valley 5 15 12 5 8 – 45
Clearfield 12 11 7 7 0 – 37
Penns Valley – 45
Ann-Marie McMurtrie 1 2-2 4, Sammie Snider 0 0-2 0, Scotty Dinges 2 3-7 7, Katie Ronig 2 0-1 4, Cate Goodwin 2 2-4 6, Kailen Winkelblech 8 0-2 19, Julie Emel 2 0-0 5, Kayla Hopkins 0 0-0 0, Paige Dobson 0 0-0 0. TOTALS 17 7-18 45.
Clearfield – 37
Emma Hipps 4 3-10 12, Lauryn Kitchen 0 0-0 0, Riley Ryen 1 1-1 3, Cayleigh Walker 1 3-4 5, Alayna Winters 3 2-5 9, Hannah Glunt 2 3-6 8. TOTALS 11 12-26 37.
GAME STATISTICS
Penns Valley/Clearfield
Shooting: 17-74/11-60
Rebounds: 40/41
Fouls: 22/18
Turnovers: 16/25
Three-Point Shots: Winkelblech-3, Emel/Hipps, Winters, Glunt