HYDE — One would think that not having a win on the season that the anguish of trying to get that first victory only to be denied would wear on a team. In reality, even with the record at this point in the year, the Clearfield Bison cagers have not quit when they step on the hardwood. Every game, they play as if the final score could be the deciding factor, even if they are looking at a large gap. That was exactly the confidence that showed every game, and was a welcoming sight on Thursday night as Clearfield took to their home Bison Gymnasium on the final day of school. Winter break officially started in the early afternoon, but the Bison took to the court to face the Hollidaysburg Golden Tigers on their Christmas Sweater night.
The game ultimately came down to being able to gain possession, and capitalize on the change of possession. The Golden Tigers did that very early, and often, crashing the boards and limiting opportunities for Clearfield near the bucket. That ultimately led to a 65-36 loss for Clearfield.
“I felt our kids battled. We boxed out, gave everything we had, all five guys on the court were in the paint boxing out, but Hollidaysburg is very talented,” Bison head coach Nate Glunt said afterwards. “I told their coach that all five of their starters could play college ball. Give them credit, as they are coached very well and have been for a long time. It was a battle, no question.”
That battle started early as the Bison did put the first points up on the board, and kept the game tight midway through the first quarter. But, Hollidaysburg started finding a groove that forced Glunt to call a time out, a groove that saw the visitors go on a 6-0 run that put them in the lead for good. He would burn through both of his quick timeouts in the first quarter as Hollidaysburg held a 21-10 advantage after the first eight minutes. Through the first quarter, and most of the second, Hollidaysburg was crashing the boards hard. Despite not having a great height advantage, their size was overwhelming.
At the same time, Clearfield was getting inside looks from their starters as Parker Collins, Braison Patrick and Anthony Lopez all were getting inside shots. The trouble was, they were not going in. Clearfield finished just 13-for-41 from the floor. Glunt noted that his team felt the shots were the right ones to take, as they were good looks with good penetration into the paint. They just were not falling.
“They were the shots we want to shoot, and eventually they are going to go in,” he said. “I want all our guys to play with confidence, and I felt that as the game went on, they developed that confidence again like they had over the summer.”
After being down 39-19 at the half, Clearfield struggled mightily in the third quarter. For the entire quarter they could not put the ball in the cylinder. At the same time, Hollidaysburg broke it open to where the running clock came into effect with 2:43 remaining in the third. Great play from not only the starters, but also the bench, gave the Golden Tigers a chance to give their lead players some rest in the final quarter. Top scorer Mason Goodman finished with 13 points, all scored through three quarters, while gaining five rebounds. Both Jacob Hileman and Cole Walters added in 11 points, and Kason Metzger contributed another 10.
Clearfield would have remained scoreless through the entire quarter until Evett Maines hit a buzzer-beater trey, but by then the Tigers had the game in hand. Glunt had the look of as though the best plans he had did not pan out, but when asked if he was frustrated with the gameplay and not having a win on the season, his response was emphatic.
“Not at all, it’s the opposite. We are improving, and you look at this team, we’re playing sophomores and freshmen up against juniors and seniors,” Glunt said. “Sure, we are going through some growing pains, but they are learning from it. I’m very proud of them for that.”
Braison Patrick finished as the lead scorer for Clearfield, finishing with 11 points. The Bison would finish perfect on the foul line in their limited attempts.
Glunt knew that becoming part of the Laurel Highlands Athletic Conference would be a large challenge when considering the amount of schools, but he also noted that despite some not having many wins, it did not emphasize how good each one was.
“You have Johnstown, Bishop Guilfoyle, Hollidaysburg, Westmont, they all are ranked in the state. All are either undefeated or one loss; look at Hollidaysburg, that team we lost to just lost to Chestnut Ridge,” he said. “All are just really good teams this year, so each game is a battle. There’s no bad teams, so we just have to keep working.”
Clearfield also fell in the junior varsity contest, 47-32.
Sitting at 0-7, it will be a full week before the team is back on the hardwood for a game, as the Christmas break usually would be tournament time for the Bison. However, with the changes in the league also meant a change in the schedule. For this year, the lone game that will take place while school is not in session is a rivalry from close by, as Clearfield will be on the road for a short trip up Rt. 879 to take on the Curwensville Golden Tide.
“They are playing with confidence, scoring a lot of points every game,” Glunt said. “Josh (Tkacik) does such a great job with them, and that’s a veteran team with lots of leadership. It is going to be a hard test, much like every game this year.”
Tip-off for junior varsity is set for 6 p.m. with the varsity contest to follow.
SCORE BY QUARTER
Hollidaysburg 21 18 19 7 – 65
Clearfield 10 9 3 14 – 36
Hollidaysburg – 65
Mason Goodman 6 1-1 13, Jay Albarano 0 0-0 0, Carson Rhodes 2 1-1 5, Brady Steiner 1 0-0 3, Jacob Hileman 4 3-6 11, Connor Kirsch 0 0-0 0, Jakob Snyder 0 0-0 0, Leyton Weimert 2 2-2 6, Kasen Metzger 5 0-0 10, Cole Walters 3 2-2 11. TOTALS 26 9-12 65.
Clearfield – 36
Parker Collins 2 0-0 5, Evett Maines 2 2-2 8, Braison Patrick 5 0-0 11, Anthony Lopez 2 2-2 7, Braylon Way 0 0-0 0, Cooper Broad 1 0-0 3, Tai Lynch 1 0-0 2, Noah Rumfola 0 0-0 0, O’Brian Owens 0 0-0 0, Carter Kasken 0 0-0 0. TOTALS 13 4-4 36.
GAME STATISTICS
Hollidaysburg/Clearfield
- Shooting: 26-53/13-41
- Rebounds: 30/12
- Fouls: 9/10
- Turnovers: 10/11
- Three-Point Shots: Steiner, Walters-3/Collins, Maines-2, Patrick, Lopez, Broad
BISON SCOREBOARD:
Date Opponent Score Record
12/01 @ DuBois Central Catholic 54 – 68 0 – 1
12/05 CENTRAL 34 – 50 0 – 2
12/08 GREATER JOHNSTOWN 35 – 70 0 – 3
12/11 @ Bellefonte 45 – 62 0 – 4
12/14 BISHOP GUILFOYLE 36 – 68 0 – 5
12/18 @ Tyrone 49 – 78 0 – 6
12/21 HOLLIDAYSBURG 36 – 65 0 – 7
12/28 @ Curwensville
01/03 @ Huntingdon
01/05 @ Westmont Hilltop
01/08 PHILIPSBURG-OSCEOLA
01/11 @ Bellwood-Antis
01/15 @ West Branch
01/17 PENNS VALLEY
01/24 @ Bald Eagle Area
01/26 BEDFORD
01/31 @ Central
02/02 @ Richland
02/07 BELLEFONTE
02/09 @ Bishop Guilfoyle
02/12 TYRONE
02/13 CURWENSVILLE
02/15 Laurel Highlands Tourney
02/17 Laurel Highlands Tourney