HYDE — So much of this season for the Clearfield Lady Bison has been being able to never quit, and being able to close out games with the strength of their offense. That has given them a lot of momentum in the last month, winning four consecutive games to be well above .500 for the first time in many years. Monday night, the Lady Bison had a chance to hit double digit victories, as they would honor their three graduating seniors with a Laurel Highlands battle against Bald Eagle.
The Lady Eagles would battle tough in the opening quarter, but the senior leadership and strong defense would put Clearfield out front for good, capturing a 62-41 victory that only strengthened their season.
“We’ve been preaching that a lot at practice for our guards to do a better job of relocating, finding open gaps and windows, so when we are pounding it into our post, so if we have to kick it out we have a good shot. We don’t want to swing the ball a lot of times in order to get that shot,” Lady Bison head coach Missy Helsel said afterwards.
The night got started a bit different, as the Lady Bison did not start their usual “Iron Five” as they have been deemed. In honor of senior night, along with Cayleigh Walker and Alayna Winters, senior reserve Kaylie Brown got the honor of starting alongside her teammates, and played strong for the first few minutes before being subbed out for Sonny Diehl.
“She has been a great help for the team this year. We are a small squad with only 12 on the roster, and she rounds us out really nice,” Helsel said “She hustles well at practice every day, she’s a great athlete, great student, and I love having her on the team.”
Once the game got going with the familiar players on the court, both teams began keeping things close, but within reason. After getting out to a two-possession lead, Bald Eagle battled back to close out the opening quarter by closing the gap to 9-8 after eight minutes.
The second quarter is when Clearfield began to turn up the pressure, limiting the shot opportunities for the Lady Eagles. At the same time, the battle on the boards was being consistently won by the Lady Bison, as those missed shots by the visitors led to possessions on the opposing end. But, it also had moments where missed shots by Clearfield also still had the rebound coming, extending the possession and making sure to get more opportunities at the basket.
“As the first quarter went on, we knew our defense needed to improve and get more intense,” Helsel said. “We did that, and I think we found another gear in the third quarter. I’ve said before that our defense fuels our offense, and when we are playing such strong defense, our offense follows.”
That fuel led to a 22-point output in the second quarter, as Clearfield took a 31-20 lead into the locker room.
Clearfield was intense on the rebounds tonight, as Walker and Diehl combined for 23 of the team’s 41 rebounds, while limiting Bald Eagle to only 21. Diehl would put on a clinic in the second and third quarters, fighting for the ball and then feeding her fellow ladies. She would finish with a double-double effort, putting up 20 points plus 14 rebounds. Not to be outdone, Walker added in nine boards.
“Cayleigh is such a big presence for us, she moves people around defensively, and they cannot let her alone. Just her being there takes away two defenders from the other team, giving us good opportunities for others to rebound,” Helsel said.
While those two were getting boards, sophomore Mia Helsel was having herself a night from deep range. Her game-high 22 points came courtesy of six shots from beyond the arc, with each not touching the rim when they went in.
Clearfield had a 49-30 lead after three quarters, and the Lady Eagles were frustrated, while also feeling angry that some foul calls were not going their way. The coaching staff, visibly frustrated, was close to getting a technical on a couple occasions, but officials let it go. In the third, Bald Eagle lost their tall center, Gabbie Perry, due to fouls. In the fourth, Addisyn Burns would also be forced to the sideline due to fouls, as she finished with a team-high 18 points. Clearfield, even with the lead, was still playing their offense, as they would win the second half by nearly the same margin as in the first, while still creating turnovers. Winters, although only accounting for seven points, would be big on both sides of the ball, accounting for 10 assists plus five steals.
“Walker shows up tonight with rebounds and points, Alayna is just terrific on defense, her hustle and her attitude are excellent. It’s so consistent,” Helsel said.
With Clearfield at 10-5, riding a five-game win streak, there is a different feeling about this group of players, and in her third year at the helm of the Lady Bison, Helsel is seeing something that her prior two squads showed but not on a consistent basis. That being cohesiveness.
“They are starting to work well as a unit, and the balance it takes to win,” she said. “That is going to be critical as we get down to the end of the regular season and playoffs. If we have a balance of both an inside game and outside game, it then becomes not about who is scoring points, but that we ARE scoring points. That’s what’s important.”
The home slate is not done as Clearfield is back in the Bison Gymnasium on Wednesday night, playing host to the Lady Cardinals of DuBois Central Catholic. Tip-off for junior varsity is at 6 p.m. with varsity to follow.
SCORE BY QUARTER
Bald Eagle 8 12 10 11 – 41
Clearfield 9 22 18 13 – 62
Bald Eagle Area – 41
Olivia Boone 2 5-6 9, Taylor Habovich 1 1-2 3, Gabbie Perry 3 0-0 6, Sybil Thompson 2 0-0 5, Addisyn Burns 7 4-6 18, Riley Housel 0 0-0 0, Lydia Walk 0 0-0 0. TOTALS 15 10-14 41.
Clearfield – 62
Sonny Diehl 8 2-4 20, Hannah Glunt 1 1-2 4, Alayna Winters 3 0-0 7, Cayleigh Walker 3 3-6 9, Mia Helsel 8 0-0 22, Kaylie Brown 0 0-0 0, Elia Evilsizor 0 0-0 0. TOTALS 23 6-12 62.
GAME STATISTICS
Bald Eagle Area/Clearfield
- Shooting: 15-47/23-73
- Rebounds: 21/41
- Fouls: 16/14
- Turnovers: 17/15
- Three-Point Shots: Thompson/Glunt, Winters, Helsel-6
- Foul Out: Perry, Burns
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 62 – 41 10 – 5
01/24 DUBOIS CENTRAL CATHOLIC
01/29 CENTRAL
02/02 @ Richland
02/05 @ Bellefonte
02/08 BISHOP GUILFOYLE
02/12 @ Tyrone
02/14 @ Curwensville