HYDE — Being able to get back on the hardwood was a big thing to start January for the Clearfield Bison. After dropping five of their first six games, the win at the end of December against Curwensville changed the course of the squad. They backed it up on Wednesday night with a big road win against P-O. Hoping to keep the win streak intact, they got back on their own court in the Bison Gymnasium on Friday night, with Bellwood-Antis coming in for more Laurel Highlands competition.
A fast start for the Bison paid dividends, as a big lead in the opening quarter propelled them to a 60-35 victory, the third straight for Clearfield.
“Our kids played very unselfish. They decided to pass on some good shots to take great shots, got paint touches, and when they didn’t get the penetration, they kicked it back out for another opportunity,” Bison head coach Nate Glunt said after exiting the locker room. “Basketball is always about makes and misses. Sometimes we can get those exact same shots, and we miss them, but tonight we were fortunate to make those shots.
“Bellwood-Antis is a well-coached team, and for us to execute like we did, I’m very happy.”
That execution is what allowed Clearfield to put up 22 points in the first quarter. After trading a pair of jump shots to start the game, Clearfield ripped off a 9-2 run before a timeout by the Blue Devils at the 3:22 mark. Immediately after the timeout, the Bison continued the roll as Braison Patrick, who missed Wednesday’s game against Philipsburg-Osceola, put up eight of the final 11 points in the stanza. Defensively, Clearfield was putting the pressure on the Blue Devils and forcing tough shots. The visitors went 1-for-11 on the floor in the first quarter, and had it not been for making all four of their foul shots, the deficit would have been larger. Still, after one quarter, Clearfield held a 22-6 lead, and never looked back.
Spreading the ball around was big for Clearfield, and being able to pull down rebounds on both sides of the court made it difficult for Bellwood-Antis to get back in the contest.
“A lot of guys stepped up huge tonight. Guys like Carter Kaskan, pulling down seven rebounds, Tanner Kaskan giving us really good minutes, Jake (Rumfola) and Kai (Lynch), our speed guys, Elijah (Glunt) getting five steals. When we have that many guys playing that well, we have depth, and can keep our guys fresh heading into the fourth quarter,” Glunt said.
Clearfield kept the pace going in the second quarter, taking a 36-17 lead into the locker room. Although slowed down in the scoring line for the quarter, Patrick pulled in four of his seven rebounds as part of his stats. He would finish as the scoring leader on the night with 24 points, while also recording a pair of assists and a pair of blocks.
Bellwood-Antis kept things close for a bit in the third, but Clearfield’s defense forced difficult shots once more after halftime. The Blue Devils went only 10-for-46 from the floor.
For Clearfield, they would finish the night 23-for-53 from the floor, as Elijah Glunt also made double figures with 13 points, while also getting seven rebounds and six assists.
The Bison also won the junior varsity contest, 50-26.
With the victory, Clearfield (4-5) is on a three-game win streak, and for Glunt that is huge at this point in the year as January is a month that could change the entire course of the season.
“Our conference is so tough. Anytime you can get a win against these opponents, you take it. We’re fortunate to start the month with two wins this week, but then after we have a day off tomorrow, we have to get right back to work,” Glunt said. “Every single game is so important. You have to make big strides this month to put yourselves in the best position at the end of the season, and potentially post season.”
The Bison will return home on Tuesday, January 14, to host the Huntingdon Bearcats, a make-up from the postponement on Monday. Varsity will tip at approximately 7:15 p.m. following the junior varsity action.
BY QUARTER
Bellwood-Antis 6 11 11 7 – 35
Clearfield 22 14 17 7 – 60
Bellwood-Antis – 35
Holden Schreier 2 2-2 7, Martin Fatzinger 1 0-0 2, Connor Mayes 3 2-2 8, Jackson Dorminy 3 0-0 8, Colin Gibbons 0 2-2 2, Colin McClellan 0 2-2 2, Keegan Shanafelt 0 0-0 0, Killian Worthing 0 1-2 1, Brady McConnell 0 2-2 2, Avery Bardell 1 0-0 3, Reid Schreier 0 0-0 0, Brenden Mcnelis 0 0-0 0, Braylon Litzinger 0 0-0 0. TOTALS 10 11-12 35.
Clearfield – 60
Parker Collins 3 0-0 8, Evett Maines 2 0-0 4, Braison Patrick 9 0-0 24, Carter Kaskan 2 0-0 4, Jake Rumfola 0 0-0 0, Kai Lynch 0 0-0 0, Elijah Glunt 4 2-2 13, Easton Maines 1 0-0 2, JT Strishock 1 0-0 2, Xavier Curry 0 0-0 0, Tanner Kaskan 1 0-0 2, Landon Lanager 0 1-2 1, Brett Fletcher 0 0-0 0, Aidan Millinder 0 0-0 0. TOTALS 23 3-4 60.
GAME STATISTICS
Bellwood-Antis/Clearfield
- Shooting: 10-46/23-53
- Rebounds: 21/32
- Fouls: 12/16
- Turnovers: 19/13
- Three-Point Shots: H. Schreier, Dorminy-2/Collins-2, Patrick-6, Glunt
BISON SCOREBOARD:
Date Opponent Score Record
12/03 @ Central 49 – 67 0 – 1
12/06 @ Greater Johnstown 44 – 68 0 – 2
12/09 BELLEFONTE 61 – 51 1 – 2
12/13 @ Bishop Guilfoyle 46 – 72 1 – 3
12/16 TYRONE 53 – 75 1 – 4
12/19 @ Hollidaysburg 47 – 71 1 – 5
12/27 CURWENSVILLE 72 – 62 2 – 5
01/03 WESTMONT HILLTOP ppd. 2 – 5
01/06 HUNTINGDON ppd. 2 – 5
01/08 @ Philipsburg-Osceola 64 – 33 3 – 5
01/10 BELLWOOD ANTIS 60 – 35 4 – 5
01/14 HUNTINGDON
01/15 @ Penns Valley
01/17 @ Bedford
01/20 WEST BRANCH
01/22 BALD EAGLE AREA
01/27 WESTMONT HILLTOP
01/29 CENTRAL
01/31 RICHLAND
02/04 DUBOIS CENTRAL
02/05 @ Bellefonte
02/07 BISHOP GUILFOYLE
02/10 @ Tyrone
02/12 @ Curwensville
