HYDE — Coming off a tough road win earlier in the week against Penns Valley, the Clearfield Lady Bison were feeling as though they could do anything and beat any team that stood in front of them. One advantage for them in the latter part of January is that the schedule worked out where a lot of the games would be contested inside the Bison Gymnasium. On Thursday night, the first of four consecutive games on the home court would take place. In a bit of irony, the Lady Bison were hosting…the Lady Bison?
The irony was only in the name, as the Bedford Lady Bison were poised to pull an upset, and late in the game that almost became a reality. With both squads having foul after foul called, with a pair of key players for each team finishing the game on the sidelines, it made for a rather nervous feeling for fans of both teams. In the end, the furious rally from the visitors was held off just long enough as Clearfield took a 62-56 win to extend their victory streak to four games.
The defining factor of the entire night was the fouls called against both squads. Combined on the night, 38 calls were put in by the officials, with it getting multiple players on each side in a tough spot to nearly having to sit on the sidelines. Bedford got the advantage early of having the five-foul rule hit first in the opening quarter, but failed to capitalize as they only shot 1-for-8 at the line. After one quarter, Clearfield held a 17-13 lead, but also had three players in foul trouble with a pair given to Sonny Diehl, Alayna Winters, and Mia Helsel.
Things went worse for Diehl in the second, as she would get her third and fourth fouls, forcing her to play timid, and also be substituted out on multiple occasions. In addition, Hannah Glunt would pick up three fouls by the second quarter, forcing her to the sidelines for a time.
Yet, that seemed to have a silver lining, because both Myleigh Hudson and Elia Evilsizor came off the bench putting in some valuable time on the hardwood, and playing as though the starting five were still in the lineup.
“That will pay off down the road in these next eight games, plus leading into playoffs,” Clearfield head coach Missy Helsel said afterwards. “We are happy when they came into the game and provided those minutes. The foul trouble seemed to carry over for us from the Penns Valley game.
“I think we came out a little slower than usual tonight, and when our defense is playing slower, I think those fouls become ones we should not be committing.”
Still, despite the foul issues, some strong shooting allowed Clearfield to maintain a four-possession lead after 16 minutes of play. But, there was a lot of worry that came once the teams entered from the locker room for the second half. That came quickly for the home squad as Diehl was doing her best to try and cover Bedford’s Rebekah Costal on a break down the far sideline. One official blew the whistle, as he called for a reach in on the offensive player, and with over half the third quarter remaining, Diehl had to retire to the bench with a five-point, eight-rebound performance.
The emotion from the freshman powerhouse was evident, as she clearly wanted to be out on the court, competing, with her teammates. For Helsel, she and the assistant coaches used it as a key learning opportunity in her first season with the team.
“I told her that she needs to understand in those situations, when I put her out on the court, you have to be in control of your own body. She said that the other girl bumped into her, and I mentioned that is going to happen, so you have to know to get out of the way,” Helsel said. “She is learning, and along with her, all these five starters right now, they don’t want to come off the floor. That may bother her, but she is learning from it.”
Costal would be the lead scorer for Bedford, finishing with 18 points, with Kasei Shuke adding in another 17.
With Diehl on the sideline, Hudson had to fill her position while everyone mostly shifted spots on defense to try and make up the difference. Still, Clearfield maintained a 48-34 lead entering the fourth quarter. But, that lead was suddenly in jeopardy as Bedford would ignite a fire among the entire squad. From the start of the final eight minutes, Clearfield was having trouble keeping focused, while Bedford was forcing turnovers and pushing them into quick baskets. Midway through the final quarter, a 12-1 run by the visitors suddenly cut the lead to a single possession.
Clearfield needed to find a spark, and Glunt gave them that with an open look at the right wing from deep range, hitting one of her two treys in the second half to put the home squad ahead by six. She finished with 15 points on the night.
Still, Bedford battled back, cutting the lead to within one point. Bedford kept the fight going, but that is when Helsel found the one shot that seemed to drain all the power from the opposition. On a fast break, the loose ball got away from her but as both squads recovered, everyone seemed to miss covering her. Helsel simply got behind the arc at the baseline, and almost casually shot a three to put her team up by three possessions.
The sophomore center had a stellar second half, draining four of her five three’s as she finished with a double-double effort, putting up 19 points plus 11 rebounds along with a pair of assists. Cayleigh Walker made double digits as well, finishing with 13 points.
Late in the game, with no other option left, Bedford fouled multiple times and put Glunt at the line. She would put the game away, soring the final five points, going 7-for-8 on the night at the foul line. By contrast, Bedford could not get anything going when the opportunity for free points came about, finishing a dismal 7-for-20 at the line.
The win is the fourth straight for Clearfield, putting their record at 9-5, and is the longest win streak for Helsel in her short time as head coach. But, not one to rest on the success of the day, Clearfield is already looking ahead as they will be back in the Bison Gym on Monday night when they host Bald Eagle Area. The schedule is a bit more familiar as the junior varsity contest will tip at 6 p.m. with the varsity action to follow.
“SCORE BY QUARTER
Bedford 13 7 14 22 – 56
Clearfield 17 13 18 14 – 62
Bedford – 56
Autumn Becker 3 2-2 8, Rebekah Costal 8 2-2 18, Ashlyn Pemberton 0 0-0 0, Adalyn Lamarche 0 0-0 0, Kasei Shuke 8 0-2 17, Kasey Martz 2 0-6 4, Shannon Letrent 3 3-8 9. TOTALS 24 7-20 56.
Clearfield – 62
Sonny Diehl 1 3-5 5, Hannah Glunt 3 7-8 15, Alayna Winters 3 0-0 8, Cayleigh Walker 5 3-4 13, Mia Helsel 7 0-0 19, Myleigh Hudson 0 2-2 2, Elia Evilsizor 0 0-0 0. TOTALS 21 15-19 62.
GAME STATISTICS
Bedford/Clearfield
- Shooting: 24-61/21-59
- Rebounds: 24/33
- Fouls: 17/21
- Turnovers: 10/17
- Three-Point Shots: Shuke/Glunt-2, Winters-2, Helsel-5
- Foul Out: Costal/Diehl
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 51 – 46 7 – 5
01/15 @ Penns Valley 64 – 58 8 – 5
01/18 BEDFORD 62 – 56 9 – 5
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