HUNTINGDON — A pair of back-to-back wins to start the week had the Clearfield Bison basketball squad feeling really strong and confident heading into the end of the week. A road showdown in the Mountain League awaited the squad, heading to Huntingdon for the second game between the two schools.
The long wait between the final buzzer on Tuesday and the opening tip on Friday seemed to drain out a lot of the excitement, and confidence. The Bison came out flat, and could not recover, resulting in a 56-43 loss, their eighth on the season.
The first quarter is the one that made the difference as the Bearcats were able to make their shots, while the Bison were not. Just a field goal each from both Cole Miller and Isakk Way were the only points Clearfield managed to put on the board in the first eight minutes. On the opposite side, Huntingdon was able to get on the board quickly, and took an early 12-5 lead. The second quarter, however, was better for Clearfield as they matched the offensive output, but still went into halftime down by seven.
The low-scoring first half was a lot different in contrast to the second, and Clearfield did for a while make a game of it.
But, as the game wore on, Huntingdon was able to get in a groove, and despite a strong push in the final quarter, Clearfield could not get close enough. The Bison had to rely on foul shot opportunities to get possessions, but Huntingdon was able to make their foul shots in the final quarter to pull away.
Both Miller and Ryan Gearhart managed to get into double digits for Clearfield, scoring 18 and 11 points, respectively.
On the opposite side of the ball, the Bearcats put three in double figures, with Alec Cooper (18), Josh Bryson (16), and Jake Rigby (12) contributing to the bulk of the scoring.
Although Clearfield (12-8) is likely heading to the playoffs, the focus still remains on finishing the regular season strong. A Mountain League championship appears out of reach, but there is one remaining game in league play. That will come on Monday, when Clearfield has its final home game of the season, taking on Bellefonte. The two squads met two weeks earlier in Bellefonte, with the Red Raiders taking a 64-56 victory. Tip off for varsity is set for 7:15 p.m.
SCORE BY QUARTER
Clearfield 5 8 11 19 – 43
Huntingdon 12 8 16 20 – 56
Clearfield – 43
Ryan Gearhart 4 1-4 11, Cole Miller 4 4-9 18, Isakk Way 3 2-2 8, Andon Greslick 2 0-0 5, Nick Collins 1 1-2 3, Luke Pallo 0 1-2 1, Nate Natoli 0 0-0 0, Caleb Wilt 0 0-0 0. TOTALS 14 8-14 43.
Huntingdon – 56
Ryan Sullivan 0 0-0 0, Alec Cooper 7 4-6 18, Josh Bryson 5 5-7 16, Jake Rigby 2 2-2 12, Cam Wiser 0 0-0 0, CJ Moore 3 0-0 6, Jack Henney 1 0-0 3. TOTALS 20 11-15 56.
