DUBOIS — The start of a basketball season has the mentality of whenever the first game is over, both teams will adjust and focus on the next opponent. That happens for 22 games. Once that season ends, the teams that have earned the opportunity to head into the playoffs then have to change their mindset, on the court as well as the coaches on the sidelines. Now, it becomes a one-game season, because both teams know that a loss means the year is over. The Lady Bison of Clearfield earned the right to have that one-game mentality after a solid first season in the Laurel Highlands Athletic Conference.
Thursday night, they would get their chance at the postseason, going into the District IX playoffs in Class 4A with a semi-final round matchup against the St. Marys Lady Dutch. The two squads would go at it for 32 minutes, but only one was having the success they hoped for on the floor. Clearfield was getting the looks, and putting up the shots. However, the ball was not going in the net. Those missed shots were countered by shots that St. Marys was making. In the end, the shooting woes doomed Clearfield, as they fell 56-36 at night’s end.
“We just couldn’t hit tonight. They were excited for this game, and had a great gameplan. We got the shots we wanted in the first half, but they weren’t falling. When those shots fall, it’s a different game defensively, and offensively. But, we weren’t hitting,” Clearfield head coach Missy Helsel said after the game.
Neither team started out with a strong game on the floor, as each would only muster a handful of points through the first five minutes of the first quarter. St. Marys got on a small run late in the quarter, taking a 10-5 lead at the end of eight minutes. The problem for both teams at the time were neither shot the ball well, with the Lady Dutch going 4-for-15, with Clearfield only 2-for-15 in the same span.
The Lady Bison struggles on the floor continued in the second quarter, which is when St. Marys truly put the game out of reach. Turnovers began to be an issue, and in a quick fashion, suddenly what was a five-point lead began getting close to double digits.
“We were feeding the ball, and we wanted to get the ball into the post more and have an inside-outside balanced game. I don’t think we did that real well in the first half, and then when we did get the ball in the second half we were able to get the ball to Sonny (Diehl),” Helsel said. “But, they were matching us and it just wasn’t to be.
“Mentally, a lot of our defense is driven by our offense, as it has all year. If we don’t have a balanced attack, with everyone involved, then we aren’t all involved on defense.”
Not hitting those shots allowed the Lady Dutch to rely on their key offensive player, Molly Hanslovan to get hot. She would bucket seven of her team-high 16 points in the second quarter, which allowed St. Marys to head into the locker room holding a 26-13 lead.
Clearfield was not giving in easily, as they came out in the second half and were beginning to get back into the game, cutting the lead into single-digits. Yet, they still were not seeing shots that they normally would see make it through the net were instead bouncing off the rim. Clearfield finished the night only going 22-for-54 shooting. At certain points in the second half, the Lady Bison were putting up successive shots under the basket, getting the rebound, and put-back. But the ball would not go in, and the look on the faces of the team told the frustration of not being able to put points on the board.
“It takes the wind out of your sails,” Helsel said. “Mia (Helsel) and Hannah (Glunt) played well with the early fouls, but things like that, it’s frustrating for me as a coach and them on the floor.”
Heading into the final quarter, Clearfield was staring at a 45-23 gap, but the fight they had from the opening tip was still there. In the last eight minutes, Diehl finally was able to put a run of scoring together, putting up 10 of her game-high 20 points in the quarter. She would finish her freshman season with a double-double effort, adding in 12 rebounds plus five steals.
With a little over a minute remaining, St. Marys called a final timeout, letting the starting five come off the court, knowing the game was secured, and let the underclassmen finish out the night.
“We expected to come in and win this game, there was no doubt. It was our mindset. I didn’t have anything prepared to say to them after a game like we had. But, I cannot be more proud of our seniors,” Helsel said. “Cayleigh (Walker) and Alayna (Winters), their senior leadership all year long has been phenomenal. We have to try to find someone to fill their shoes. Kaylie Brown, she gave us every bit of effort in practice and the jayvee games this year, and you could see it. It was a great season with these girls.”
When the night ended, the Lady Bison spent a lot of time in the locker room, as Helsel stated because she didn’t know what to say to her team. But, the girls did not go down without giving everything they had, and more. As they came back to the court, meeting with friends, family, and supporters, the redness in the eyes and the emotion began to show. Tears of sorrow were visible knowing the 32 minutes they spent on the floor was the final amount of time they would be together as a team.
For Helsel, and her staff, the thing they took away the most from the season was the fact that with every win and every loss, there was no moment that the team did not give 100% effort. From the “Iron Five” that spent most of the time on the court, to the reserves, and the young members that played on junior varsity, all of them left it all on the hardwood.
“Those five girls that we started all year long, they have played so hard, and gave it everything they had,” Helsel said. “When they are in the locker room after a game like that, you see the emotion, you know they really care. We really appreciate that from them.”
The Lady Bison finish the 2023-2024 campaign with a final record of 14-9.
SCORE BY QUARTER
Clearfield 5 8 13 10 – 36
St. Marys 10 16 19 11 – 56
Clearfield – 36
Sonny Diehl 10 0-3 20, Hannah Glunt 1 0-0 3, Alayna Winters 0 0-0 0, Cayleigh Walker 1 0-0 2, Mia Helsel 3 4-5 11, Myleigh Hudson 0 0-0 0, Kaylie Brown 0 0-0 0. TOTALS 15 4-8 36.
St. Marys – 56
Rachael Braun 0 0-0 0, Jayssa Snelick 4 1-2 9, Maura Caskey 4 1-2 9, Molly Hanslovan 6 3-4 16, Taylor Gornati 4 1-2 11, Karli Frantz 0 0-0 0, Chloe Schaberl 0 0-0 0 Zoe Romanic 0 0-0 0, Sophia Surra 0 0-0 0, Braelyn Beck 0 0-0 0, Alexa Schneider 4 0-0 11. TOTALS 22 6-10 56.
GAME STATISTICS
Clearfield/St. Marys
- Shooting: 15-68/22-54
- Rebounds: 36/35
- Fouls: 13/6
- Turnovers: 17/19
- Three-Point Shots: Glunt, Helsel/Hanslovan, Gornati-2, Schneider-3
Final 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 48 – 55 10 – 6
01/29 CENTRAL 65 – 54 11 – 6
02/02 @ Richland 44 – 49 11 – 7
02/05 @ Bellefonte 78 – 51 12 – 7
02/08 BISHOP GUILFOYLE 47 – 66 12 – 8
02/12 @ Tyrone 54 – 49 13 – 8
02/14 @ Curwensville 55 – 49 14 – 8
02/22 D9 Playoffs
02/22 vs. St. Marys 36 – 56 14 – 9