PHILIPSBURG — Even though this year is a new league, classic rivalries still are part of the schedule for the Clearfield Lady Bison. Coming off a tough home loss at the end of the prior week, Clearfield would get to it with a classic showdown on the road against long-time foe Philipsburg-Osceola, and the desire to beat the Lady Mounties was strong.
It was so strong that the desire, heart, and cohesiveness of the Lady Bison exploded in their second-highest point total on the season. Thanks to a solid first half, Clearfield put it on cruise control for the night, taking home a decisive 71-42 victory.
The visiting squad got things going early, with all five starters getting in on the scoring effort, while defensively keeping things in check for P-O. Clearfield doubled the output of the opposition, taking a 19-9 lead after one quarter of play.
If the first quarter began deflating the feeling inside the P-O Mountie Gymnasium, the second quarter cut the balloon open and caused it to fall to the floor almost instantly.
Clearfield suddenly began feeling it, and no one was feeling it more than sophomore Mia Helsel. She would account for nearly half of the scoring in the stanza, dropping 16 of her game-high 23 points. Not to be outdone or overshadowed, her teammates were having just as much success as they contributed in the 30-point quarter across the board. Defensively, they all were excited and wanting to do more, but since the quarter only lasted eight minutes, the Lady Bison headed into the locker room with a solid 49-21 advantage.
It did not take long for the Lady Bison to set the running clock in motion once the teams came back for the second half, but P-O made improvements coming out of the locker room. They would still be outscored in the latter part of the contest, but battled to a tighter degree as they only gave up 22 points for the remaining 16 minutes.
Along with Helsel, Sonny Diehl added to double-digit scoring with 16 points, while Hannah Glunt accounted for another 13. The one struggle for Clearfield, as has been for the season, has been at the foul line, as they only shot 18-for-27 at the line. For the Lady Mounties, Khendyl Sharrer accounted for 14 points, while Maddy Maunich bucketed 13. P-O also struggled at the foul line on the night, going just 15-for-24.
Clearfield finishes the first half of the season with a 6-5 record, but there is no rest for the weary since the next game is mere days away. Up next will be the Blue Devils of Bellwood-Antis. Lucky for the Lady Bison, this game will take place on their home court. Tip-off is set for Friday, January 12, at 6 p.m. for the junior varsity. The main event will happen at approximately 7:30 p.m.
SCORE BY QUARTER
Clearfield 19 30 11 11 – 71
P-O 9 12 12 9 – 42
Clearfield – 71
Sonny Diehl 6 4-6 16, Hannah Glunt 4 4-8 13, Alayna Winters 3 2-3 8, Cayleigh Walker 1 5-6 7, Mia Helsel 9 3-4 23, Myleigh Hudson 0 0-0 0, Elia Evilsizor 2 0-0 4. TOTALS 24 18-27 71.
Philipsburg-Osceola – 42
Maddy Maunich 3 7-10 13, Kaycie Hughes 1 1-4 4, Lilly Warlow 2 2-2 6, Khendyl Sharrer 6 2-2 14, Emily Gustkey 0 3-6 3, Ashlyn Warner1 0-0 2, Alli Muir 0 0-0 0. TOTALS 13 15-24 42.
LADY BISON SCOREBOARD:
Date Opponent Score Record
12/01 @ Brookville Tip-Off Tourney vs. North Clarion 49 – 37 1 – 0
12/02 @ Brookville Tip-Off Tourney vs. Brookville 50 – 23 2 – 0
12/06 @ Central 43 – 57 2 – 1
12/08 GREATER JOHNSTOWN 43 – 60 2 – 2
12/13 BELLEFONTE 72 – 50 3 – 2
12/15 @ Bishop Guilfoyle 38 – 46 3 – 3
12/20 TYRONE 61 – 43 4 – 3
12/22 @ Hollidaysburg 29 – 64 4 – 4
01/03 HUNTINGDON 54 – 45 5 – 4
01/05 @ Westmont Hilltop 34 – 54 5 – 5
01/10 @ Philipsburg-Osceola 71 – 42 6 – 5
01/12 BELLWOOD-ANTIS
01/15 @ Penns Valley
01/18 BEDFORD
01/22 BALD EAGLE AREA
01/24 DUBOIS CENTRAL CATHOLIC
01/29 CENTRAL
02/02 @ Richland
02/05 @ Bellefonte
02/08 BISHOP GUILFOYLE
02/12 @ Tyrone
02/14 @ Curwensville