HYDE — After having a tough loss to end the prior week, and having their head coach sidelined with the flu, the Clearfield Lady Bison were anxious to really get back on the court and get back in the win column. The first part of that hope came on Tuesday night, on the hardwood inside their own Bison Gymnasium. The opposition, another Mountain League rival in the Lady Eagles of Bald Eagle Area.
Early on, the contest was fast-paced, with a lot of scoring, and multiple opportunities to score. As the game wore on, the mindset suddenly went from being quick to methodical and physical. That meant aggressive play, and making every point count. On this night, the Lady Bison made it count in a big way, halting the offensive output of Bald Eagle, roaring back to a decisive 42-35 victory to even their record on the season.
“We came out in the second half knowing that defense was going to win this game, and the girls committed to it,” head coach Missy Helsel said afterwards. “They did an outstanding job guarding (Abby Hoover). We did have some foul trouble early, as Alayna (Winters) had to come out, and she was able to go back in the fourth quarter and provide such amazing defensive pressure. I really have to give all of them credit for pulling this one off.”
Early on, it was a shot-for-shot contest as both squads were scoring on nearly each opening possession. But after tying up at six points each, Bald Eagle managed to get out to a slight advantage, holding a two-possession lead entering the second quarter. It was much of the same in the second quarter, with Bald Eagle spreading out the scoring across the board. Neither team had a clear advantage in the quarter, even with Riley Ryen draining 11 of her 16 points in the first half including a trio of threes, and Clearfield went into the locker room looking up at a 26-18 deficit.
All of a sudden, the second half took on a completely different aspect.
Neither team got scoring for the first few minutes in the third quarter, but as the minutes ticked away, Clearfield began chipping away at the lead. The Lady Eagles were not going away, but at the same time they weren’t the same squad as the first 16 minutes. After getting to a 30-23 advantage with just two minutes remaining, things took a different view.
Bald Eagle was going after the ball, but also were playing tighter coverage, and that led to some questionable non-calls, as players were tumbling over one another, and hitting the hardwood with tough force.
“I think that was a combination of them (Bald Eagle) getting frustrated, and our defense was turning it up a bit,” Helsel said. “I told the girls that we don’t play into anyone else’s mindset. We have our own gameplan to stick to.”
But, following a timeout with just over two minutes remaining, freshmen Mia Helsel made the first key shot as she found an open lane, draining a three from the post. With the quarter winding down, Helsel made key dish out to Hannah Glunt, who put up a massive shot from the left post to pull Clearfield to just one point away from the lead. As the buzzer went off, the eyes of of the Bison faithful, both on the sidelines and on the bleachers, had the look of being ready to close the deal.
Glunt would finish the night in a big way, scoring a team-high 18 points and concluding a double-double night with an additional 10 rebounds, three assists, and five steals.
The final quarter saw Bald Eagle go into almost panic mode, as the need to foul took over, and Clearfield took every opportunity to make it count. The Lady Bison went 9-for-11 at the line in the final quarter, finishing 15-for-22 on the night. By contrast, the Lady Eagles had 15 opportunities at the foul line, but only made four.
Even in victory, Helsel already was looking at what to do for the next game, and with an entire week until they play again, she already knew what needed to be fixed before the next tip-off.
“We will get better offensively, finishing our shots, attacking and get better defensively,” she said. “We have to be ready for a tough Mountain League.”
Clearfield (4-4) will have to wait on getting back into league play when the calendar turns to 2023, because they have one remaining game in the month of December. Next Tuesday, they will play host to the Curwensville Lady Tide, who they defeated to start the season, 48-20. The game will take place as a matinee, with tip-off set for 2:30 p.m. and no junior varsity contest prior.
SCORE BY QUARTER
Bald Eagle 14 12 4 5 – 35
Clearfield 10 8 11 13 – 42
Bald Eagle Area – 35
Abby Hoover 6 1-2 13, Olivia Boone 2 1-2 5, Sybil Thompson 2 0-3 5, Taylor Habovick 2 2-4 6, Gabbie Perry 2 0-2 4, Addisyn Burns 1 0-1 2, Emma Hoover 0 0-0 0. TOTALS 15 4-15 35.
Clearfield – 42
Hannah Glunt 5 5-7 18, Alayna Winters 0 1-2 1, Cayleigh Walker 0 4-6 4, Riley Ryen 4 5-6 16, Mia Helsel 1 0-2 3, Jaylee Gill 0 0-0 0, Myleigh Hudson 0 0-0 0. TOTALS 10 15-22 42.
GAME STATISTICS
Bald Eagle Area/Clearfield
- Shooting: 15-44/10-44
- Rebounds: 30/27
- Fouls: 19/14
- Turnovers: 30/23
- Three-Point Shots: Thompson/Glunt-3, Ryen-3, Helsel
- Foul Out: Boone