ALLPORT — Fresh off back-to-back wins for the first time in the season, the Clearfield Bison were in for one of the toughest challenges on the year to start off the week. It has always been one of the most difficult games on the year since head coach Nate Glunt took over the lead role of the Bison, as Monday night they made the trip to Allport to face off with the one-loss West Branch Warriors.
This night was one that was one that lived up to the hype, as both squads would go full-tilt from opening tip to final buzzer. There was no miscues on this night that made a deciding factor, only one team that wanted it more. That would be the Warriors, as they handed the Bison a 73-66 loss.
“They do a great job on their scheme this year. Number 12 (Owen Koleno) does a great job inside, Joel (Evans) just pounds the boards. This team isn’t about shooting those deep three’s. They love to penetrate to the paint,” Glunt said afterwards.
The action was fast-paced right in the opening minute as both teams would go bucket-for-bucket, with Clearfield maintaining just a slight lead for a majority of the first quarter. West Branch would battle back to keep the visitors guessing, however Clearfield managed to maintain a 17-14 advantage after one quarter of play.
Clearfield continued to put the pressure on in the second stanza, but found itself on the wrong end of a couple miscues, and it let the Warriors battle back, eventually leading to their first lead of the game with half a quarter to go before the halftime break. The Warriors finished the half on a solid run taking a 36-33 lead heading into halftime.
The pace of the game kept each team honest, something that Glunt noted since both squads had a long weekend due to Monday being Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
“All schools had off today, yet I thought our legs, intensity and concentration all were where it needed to be. Sometimes when you don’t have school, those are the things you worry about, but the kids did a great job to prepare for the game,” he said. “They were ready to play, but we played a team that was skilled, strong, athletic and play together. West Branch is a well-coached team. We battled. At one point we were down 10, but came back and made it four. We battled the entire game, but West Branch was just a little bit better.”
By contrast, the one-loss Warriors were not resting on their record nor reputation, and West Branch head coach Danny Clark knew that the game with Clearfield was not going to be a walk in the park.
“We know coming in what Clearfield is going to bring every single time. Yes, we probably were the favorites, but it is always tough playing against that man-to-man defense,” Clark said.
The West Branch defense managed to get some cushion built up in the third quarter. After seeing Braison Patrick cut loose for 15 of his team-tying high 24 in the first half, they were able to limit his production in the third quarter. At the same time, the third quarter is when Koleno started roaring to life, as he would drain 12 of his game-high 35 points in the quarter, penetrating into the paint and bringing down rebounds to get the put-back buckets. After three quarters, Clearfield was looking up at a 56-49 deficit that was still within reach.
“They do a fantastic job of being able to anticipate, because they have enough length and athleticism that they can anticipate and recover. Give Anthony Lopez huge credit because he made some great plays in the high post, getting the ball to guys that were open,” Glunt said. “The third quarter, we just missed a couple shots, and we were not going to get many shots in the paint since we just don’t have the size, but we did a great job crashing the boards.”
Clearfield would not quit as the fourth quarter rolled on, as they were living behind the three-point line. Along with Patrick, Maines and Parker Collins each hit deep shots to pull Clearfield to within one possession. Collins matched the output of Patrick with 24 points, with Maines adding in another 10. For his effort, Lopez would lead the squad with seven assists on the night.
“Braison is playing with a lot of poise, and also we are playing as a cohesive team. Parker and Braison had 24, Evett had 10, all these guys were playing hard. It’s a credit to how hard they work,” Glunt said.
The success of Patrick was not lost on Clark either, stating, “That kid can shoot. He is a talented individual, and if he’s got a look, he takes it.”
Clearfield’s push to close the gap was halted in the final quarter courtesy of fouls, as they would commit seven in the quarter, compared to West Branch who went without a single foul call in the final eight minutes. In doing so, they would go 7-for-10 at the foul line, pushing the gap to the eventual seven points to claim the victory.
Along with Koleno’s 35 points, both Evans and Isaac Tiracorda added in 15 points a piece in the Warrior victory. Evans would finish with a double-double, adding in 10 rebounds. Koleno would conclude the game with nine boards.
Sitting at 3-10, Clearfield’s week does not get easier as they will play host on Wednesday night against the Penns Valley Rams. The lone battle between the two long-time rivals will tip of at 6 p.m. inside the Bison Gymnasium for junior varsity, with the varsity contest happening approximately 90 minutes after.
SCORE BY QUARTER
Clearfield 17 16 16 17 – 66
West Branch 14 22 20 17 – 73
Clearfield – 66
Parker Collins 9 1-2 24, Evett Maines 3 2-2 10, Braison Patrick 9 0-0 24, Anthony Lopez 2 0-0 4, Braylon Way 1 0-0 2, Cooper Broad 1 0-0 2, Jake Rumfola 0 0-0 0. TOTALS 25 3-4 66.
West Branch – 73
Lukas Colton 0 3-4 3, Joel Evans 5 5-7 15, Zach McGonigal 2 0-0 5, Owen Koleno 16 2-2 35, Isaac Tiracorda 5 5-8 15, Dylan McGonigal 0 0-0 0. TOTALS 28 13-21 73.
GAME STATISTICS
Clearfield/West Branch
- Shooting: 25-55/28-55
- Rebounds: 19/28
- Fouls: 18/4
- Turnovers: 16/16
- Three-Point Shots: Collins-5, Maines-2, Patrick-6/Z. McGonigal, Koleno
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 56 – 43 1 – 7
01/03 @ Huntingdon 51 – 57 1 – 8
01/05 @ Westmont Hilltop 47 – 72 1 – 9
01/08 PHILIPSBURG-OSCEOLA 71 – 63 2 – 9
01/11 @ Bellwood-Antis 49 – 46 3 – 9
01/15 @ West Branch 66 – 73 3 – 10
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