HYDE — As was anticipated, the contest between the rival Philipsburg-Osceola Mounties and the Clearfield Bison would be a battle right down to the wire. It was the case in the first meeting between the two schools back on December 7, with Clearfield getting the edge in that contest over at the Mountie Gym. The second matchup on the hardwood of the Bison Gymnasium was looking to be just as heated, and the fans in the stands got exactly what they had hoped for.
What the fans didn’t expect was the struggles for the Bison to get to the basket. The shots they would normally make were not going in, and P-O took advantage in the second half, as they handed the Bison a 43-40 loss, the first time P-O has beaten Clearfield in 10 years.
Early on, Clearfield was getting the advantage as the Bison would hit hard behind the arc right away, cruising out to a 16-8 advantage after one quarter of play.
However, the success they had in the first quickly dissolved.
The same shots that were making it in the hoop at the start of the first, were suddenly not going in, and the same was happening in the second quarter. What that led to was opportunities to rebound, and the Mounties were lighting up the home squad. It was as though a parachute was pulled because Clearfield only went 2-for-13 in the quarter, and P-O erased an eight-point gap to just a 21-20 deficit heading into the locker room.
Nick Johnson led P-O on the boards for the night, finishing with 11.
Clearfield’s shooting woes in the second continued into the third, only going 3-for-12 from the floor. All the shots came from Cole Miller, who finished with a game-high 17 points. However, not being able to put shots down when needed allowed the Mounties to suddenly tie the game after three quarters, 30-30.
The fourth quarter started hot, with Oliver Harpster hitting his own three-pointer. Cole Miller answered back with another at the opposite end, one of five he had on the night. But, on the ensuing possession, the game-changer.
Jake DeSimone, who finished the night with a team-high 11 points, put up a deep shot from the floor, and was fouled in the process. That shot found the net, and he would add on the plus-one shot to give P-O the four-point advantage. Clearfield at that point would never regain the lead, despite trying to get back into the contest over the waning minutes.
Now at 9-3, Clearfield still holds the lead in the Mountain League standings, and will travel to Hollidaysburg on Friday night.
SCORE BY QUARTER
Philipsburg-Osceola 8 12 10 13 – 43
Clearfield 16 5 9 10 – 40
Philipsburg-Osceola – 43
Oliver Harpster 4 0-0 9, Lucas Peterson 2 1-2 5, Nick Johnson 2 5-6 9, Jacob DeSimone 4 1-1 11, Camden Mason 0 0-2 0, Brandon Hahn 2 0-0 5, Zack Meyers 1 0-0 2. TOTALS 15 9-11 43.
Clearfield – 40
Braison Patrick 2 0-0 6, Luke Pallo 0 1-2 1, Andon Greslick 2 0-0 6, Morgen Billotte 4 0-0 10, Cole Miller 6 0-0 17, Anthony Lopez 0 0-0 0, Kam Kushner 0 0-0 0, Braylen Way 0 0-0 0. TOTALS 14 1-2 40.
