DUBOIS — The tough loss one night earlier had to be put behind for the Clearfield Lady Bison, because the need to refocus had no rest for the weary. On Wednesday night, a road trip west was on the schedule for a non-league contest against the Lady Cardinals of DuBois Central Catholic.
For 24 minutes, both squads battled to a draw, meeting each other in baskets, defensive stands, and passion. But, high school basketball lasts 32 minutes, and the Lady Cardinals would come out roaring in the final quarter, handing Clearfield its second-consecutive loss, a tight 65-57 final, to drop Clearfield back below the .500-mark on the season.
It was the visitors that won the opening quarter, doing so at the foul line, a place where Clearfield has struggled on occasion this year. With Riley Ryen putting up seven points in the first eight minutes, Clearfield took a single possession lead, 15-13. However, the Lady Cardinals came right back, putting up 15 points of their own in the second quarter while limiting Clearfield to just 11. The slim 28-26 lead for D.C.C. still didn’t swing momentum entirely their way.
Clearfield battled back in the third to take the lead back, but after the buzzer ended, both teams were back where they started on the night, knotted back up, except this time the scoreboard showed 39-39.
The fourth quarter is when things fell the way of the Lady Cardinals, as Kaycey Risser would find her stride, putting up 11 of her team-high 20 points in the quarter, one of four players to hit double figures for the home squad. Late in the going, Clearfield was forced to foul, and D.C.C. took full advantage, bucketing 6-of-9 shots in the final quarter, including a plus-one opportunity.
Alongside Risser, Jessy Frank (12), Emma Elensky (11), and Marina Hanes (10) all put up double figures.
Clearfield, still, would not go down quietly, as they battled tough, just as they had done all season.
In the fourth, Ryen would put up another seven points, part of her game-high 22, but as the Lady Cardinals pulled away, foul trouble limited the amount of physical play Clearfield could do. Hannah Glunt, who finished with 11 points, played most of the fourth quarter having four fouls to her name. Cayleigh Walker was in the same boat, despite finishing with 13 points herself. Mia Helsel was limited to six points on the night, but would foul out, and without her presence in the paint for the final quarter, the Lady Cardinals took advantage, winning the final quarter, 26-18, to clinch the win.
Sitting at 6-7, Clearfield is back in action Friday night when they travel to Penns Valley.
SCORE BY QUARTER
Clearfield 15 11 13 18 – 57
D.C. Catholic 13 15 11 26 – 65
Clearfield – 57
Hannah Glunt 3 2-4 11, Alayna Winters 2 1-1 5, Cayleigh Walker 5 3-5 13, Riley Ryen 4 11-13 22, Mia Helsel 2 2-2 6, Arika Jones 0 0-0 0, Jaylee Gill 0 0-0 0. TOTALS 16 19-25 57.
Dubois Central Catholic – 65
Kacey Risser 9 2-6 20, Emma Elensky 3 5-6 11, Jessy Frank 4 2-2 12, Lexi Berta 2 2-2 7, Marina Hanes 2 4-4 10, Hope Jacob 1 1-2 3, Rose Whipple 0 0-0 0, Lauren Davidson 1 0-0 2, Julia Sebring 0 0-0 0. TOTALS 22 16-22 65.