SPRING MILLS — In the hopes of easing the pain from two difficult loses this week, the Clearfield Lady Bison were hoping to continue a couple of trends that have occurred for the entire 2022-2023 season. All year, the team has not lost three consecutive games, nor been more than one game below the .500-mark on the season. In order to keep both trends rolling, they would have to beat the Lady Rams of Penns Valley on the road.
After one quarter, neither team had an advantage in this Mountain League clash. Unfortunately for the visitors, the next made all the difference. The Lady Bison would falter in the second, and could not recover, falling to the Lady Rams, 58-46.
Penns Valley and Clearfield each started the night playing a tight contest, battling to a 12-12 tie after one quarter.
When the second began, so did the game.
Clearfield struggled to get the ball in the basket, only making three shots in the second, and six overall in the first half. When at the free throw line, they would make the most of the opportunity, going 8-for-10 in the first half. But, the six shots made overall as a team, those would only equal the output of Penns Valley’s Ann-Marrie McMurtrie in the quarter. She would put up 14 points in the quarter, part of a game-high 24 point night, which helped push the Lady Rams to a 34-22 lead heading into the locker room.
The Lady Bison would not go quietly, as they outscored Penns Valley in the third to cut the lead down to eight points. But, the final quarter yielded a struggle that would be hard to overcome.
Starters Mia Helsel and Hannah Glunt would each foul out in the fourth, and having two key components of the Clearfield offense forced to the sidelines made it a challenge to keep pace with the opposition. Penns Valley would put up 12 points in three different quarters, and ironically held on to win by a 12-point margin.
For the Lady Bison, Helsel led the team with 17 points while Cayleigh Walker added another 12.
Clearfield is now two games behind .500, sitting at 6-8, and will try to get back on their winning ways on Monday night when they travel to Philipsburg to face the Mounties. In the first meeting, the Lady Bison routed their rival, 58-15, in the Bison Gymnasium.
SCORE BY QUARTER
Clearfield 12 10 16 8 – 46
Penns Valley 12 22 12 12 – 58
Clearfield – 46
Hannah Glunt 1 5-9 8, Alayna Winters 1 0-0 2, Cayleigh Walker 6 0-1 12, Riley Ryen 2 2-4 7, Mia Helsel 5 5-6 17, Arika Jones 0 0-0 0, Jaylee Gill 0 0-0 0. TOTALS 15 12-20 46.
Penns Valley – 58
Julia Emel 4 0-0 9, Ann-Marie McMurtrie 9 3-4 24, Haddley Stoner 0 0-1 0, Avery Dinges 2 1-3 5, Scotty Dinges 1 0-0 2, Skylar Fleshman 0 0-0 0, Ellie Romig 0 1-2 1, Ellie Dinges 3 3-5 10, Paige Dobson 2 3-4 7. TOTALS 21 11-19 58.