BELLEFONTE — The key thing about any game in any sport can often be the cliché of “It’s not how you start, but how you finish.” In basketball, even a slow start can lead to a major win, as long as improvements are made from quarter to quarter, and minute to minute. For the Clearfield Lady Bison, Monday night’s game on the road against the Bellefonte Lady Raiders can be described exactly as that.
One quarter in, the visiting squad was not in the best of situations. One quarter later, it was an entirely different team. That confidence, coupled with a never-quit attitude and some important foul shooting down the stretch, gave Clearfield a signature win on the year, downing Bellefonte in a tight 48-47 final.
In the opening quarter, Clearfield would not have success getting to the basket, only putting up eight points. On the opposing side, Bellefonte never let up, ending the first eight minutes with a four-possession advantage, 18-8. However, one thing that was a struggle was free opportunities at points for the Lady Raiders. In the first quarter, despite only Taylor Brown going to the foul line, she missed her two shots.
The second quarter, that struggle was costly.
Missed shots at the charity stripe continued for Bellefonte, making only 1-of-6 in the second quarter. Clearfield capitalized, getting rebounds and finding a groove on defense. After giving up 18 points in the first, Clearfield held their Mountain League rival to just a single shot from the floor, and went into halftime holding a 28-21 lead.
Although that lead was slim, foul shooting became critical in the second half. Clearfield only put a pair of shots in the net during the third quarter, but went a perfect 6-for-6 at the line. Despite being out-scored in the quarter, the Lady Bison held a slim three-point advantage going into the final quarter.
Despite that, Clearfield was in some foul trouble with some key starters. Mia Helsel, who has been big in the paint all season, entered the fourth quarter with four fouls on her tally. Then, not even a minute into the final quarter, she was forced to the sidelines. Her mother, Lady Bison head coach Missy Helsel, admitted that seeing Mia foul out that early nearly caused her to lose her mind. With the lead swapping between the two, being able to control emotions and get to the basket, or get opportunities, began to be the critical focus for both squads.
That is when a young sophomore and the lone senior both made an impact.
Much like the third quarter, success at the foul line mattered. Being forced to foul, Bellefonte had to hope for a rebound and get down the court. On 16 different occasions, Clearfield would be at the foul line. Nine of those came from sophomore Hannah Glunt, who only managed to get two shots to go in the net all night long. However, down the stretch, she would go to the line eight times. For the game, she would see the foul line 18 different times, making 11 shots, finishing with a game-high 15 points with a majority coming with no risk of defense trying to block.
All the fouls in the final quarter cost Bellefonte, as starters Emma Rossman and Madison Ripka each had to go to the bench after reaching five fouls. Rossman led the Lady Raiders with 11 points.
Clearfield kept the opportunities for the Lady Raiders to get to the line at a minimum in the final quarter, but the missed chances early in the game were costly. At night’s end, Bellefonte went an abysmal 4-for-16 at the line, while Clearfield went 23-for-35. The missed shots as time wound down late in the game were just enough for Clearfield to secure the win. The Lady Bison were outscored 26-20 in the second half, but the second quarter output along with strong defense and foul shooting were just enough. It was a game where Helsel felt her team really came together when the pressure was on, as they would savor the win for the night, but get back to work the following day.
The next game for Clearfield (9-10) will not be until Thursday when they are back on the road against Huntingdon.
SCORE BY QUARTER
Clearfield 8 20 10 10 – 48
Bellefonte 18 3 14 12 – 47
Clearfield – 48
Hannah Glunt 2 11-18 15, Alayna Winters 0 4-5 4, Cayleigh Walker 3 1-2 7, Riley Ryen 3 6-8 13, Mia Helsel 4 0-0 8, Jaylee Gill 0 0-0 0, Myleigh Hudson 0 1-2 1. TOTALS 12 23-35 48.
Bellefonte – 47
Emma Rossman 5 1-2 11, Mackenzie Ellenberger 3 0-0 7, Sydney Hamilton 3 0-3 7, Keira Whitman 2 0-1 4, Madison Ripka 3 1-2 7, Maria Cotter 2 0-0 5, Taylor Brown 2 2-8 6, Jaylee Lose 0 0-0 0. TOTALS 20 4-16 47.
Lady Bison Scoreboard:
Date Opponent Score Record
12/02 & 03 @ Brookville Tip-off Tourney
12/02 vs. Clarion-Limestone 41 – 43 0 – 1
12/03 vs. Brookville 53 – 42 1 – 1
12/05 @ Curwensville 48 – 20 2 – 1
12/07 ST. MARYS 35 – 58 2 – 2
12/09 PUNXSUTAWNEY 37 -63 2 – 3
12/13 PHILIPSBURG-OSCEOLA 58 – 15 3 – 3
12/17 @ Hollidaysburg 31 – 60 3 – 4
12/20 BALD EAGLE AREA 42 – 35 4 – 4
12/27 CURWENSVILLE 64 – 22 5 – 4
01/03 @ Tyrone 41 – 62 5 – 5
01/06 BELLEFONTE 60 – 50 6 – 5
01/10 HUNTINGDON 23 – 54 6 – 6
01/11 @ DuBois Central Catholic 57 – 65 6 – 7
01/13 @ Penns Valley 46 – 58 6 – 8
01/16 @ Philipsburg-Osceola 58 – 25 7 – 8
01/19 HOLLIDAYSBURG 32 – 70 7 – 9
01/23 @ Bald Eagle Area 46 – 37 8 – 9
01/26 TYRONE 39 – 51 8 – 10
01/30 @ Bellefonte 48 – 47 9 – 10
02/02 @ Huntingdon
02/06 PENNS VALLEY
02/14 @ DuBois