TYRONE — Any given night. That has been the theme this basketball season in the Mountain League, because when one team looks good, they suddenly can be beaten. Then, another night, that same team can be taken down, or struggle in a game they are expected to win. It’s happened a few times this year to the Clearfield Bison cagers, however, that did not stop them from continuing to play their type of basketball. Friday night, they had the hard task of going into a hostile environment, as they faced off with their rival Tyrone Golden Eagles, hoping to sweep the series.
In the first game, Clearfield managed to pull off a two-point win. Things were a lot different on this night, as Tyrone got out to a fast start, while Clearfield was stagnant and struggling. At night’s end, the Golden Eagles split the season series with Clearfield, handing a 76-39 loss to the visitors.
Clearfield got out of the gate from the opening tip rather sluggishly, only putting up seven points in the opening quarter. Star center Cole Miller would only put up four points in the quarter, and struggled to get the ball in the net from deep range. He would lead the Bison with 13 points, but would not score more than four points in a quarter for the game.
Meanwhile, the Golden Eagles got going early and often.
Tyrone was having success behind the arc, at the foul line, and on missed shots would get rebounds on both ends of the court. The 17-7 lead after one quarter expanded to a 41-17 lead heading into the locker room. It was a much different feeling in this game in all senses, and things would remain the same for the remaining 16 minutes.
The third quarter went much the same as the second. Tyrone nearly tripled the output of Clearfield, taking a 64-25 advantage into the final quarter, with a running clock to ensure the game would conclude quickly. Both teams would allow the reserves to get minutes in the final stanza, where Clearfield would ultimately out-score the Golden Eagles, 14-12. At that point, it was little comfort as the loss was imminent.
Tyrone was paced by Sam Crilly’s game-high 22 points, while Ross Gampe added in another 14.
At 10-5, Clearfield returns to its home court on Tuesday, January 31, when they host the Bellefonte Red Raiders. These two first met up at the beginning of January, with the Bison barely edging out the win in overtime, 46-43. Junior varsity tips off at 6 p.m. with the varsity slated approximately 90 minutes later.
SCORE BY QUARTER
Clearfield 7 10 8 14 – 39
Tyrone 17 24 23 12 – 76
Clearfield – 39
Cole Miller 5 3-4 13, Andon Greslick 1 0-0 3, Morgen Billotte 0 1-2 1, Luke Pallo 2 0-0 5, Braison Patrick 1 0-0 2, Anthony Lopex 0 2-2 2, Skylar Clark 0 0-0 0, Braylen Way 2 0-0 6, Kam Kushner 1 0-0 2, Kai Lynch 1 0-0 3, Ev Maines 1 0-0 2, Parker Collins 0 0-0 0. TOTALS 14 6-8 39.
Tyrone – 76
Ashton Walk 4 0-2 9, Andrew Escala 3 0-0 7, Zac LeGars 2 3-3 9, Ross Gampe 6 2-3 14, Dravyn Crowell 3 0-0 7, Sam Crilly 8 0-0 22, Kendall Lehner 2 0-0 4, Eli Woomer 1 0-0 2, Ashton Emigh 1 0-0 2, Brayden Parsons 0 0-0 0. TOTALS 30 5-8 76.