HYDE — The Bison Gymnasium was rolling for a second consecutive night, but this night saw the Clearfield Bison cagers hit the hardwood, hoping to keep their late-season momentum going. They would welcome in the Cardinals from DuBois Central Catholic (DCC) for a little non-league action, and this night could be described as unexpected, and stunning.
The Cardinals came to play, and took charge in the first half. But, the second half, things faltered in an immensely unexpected way, and the Bison took advantage, taking home a stunning 60-43 victory that everyone in attendance never anticipated.
Clearfield did not come out as strong as expected, but at the same time did not play poorly. DCC got things going quickly, as Marek Hoyt and Zayden Jordan combined for 15 of the team’s 20 points in the opening quarter. The Bison would have some struggles, finding themselves down by three possessions at the end of eight minutes. But, the intensity began to go up for the home squad as the second quarter began.
Although Clearfield would not outscore the Cardinals in the second quarter, they kept within reach. Balanced scoring allowed the Bison to head into the locker room still down by nine points, but feeling like they could still compete.
As the teams entered the floor for the final 16 minutes, no one knew how either would hit the floor, or how they would play. What no one expected was it suddenly get cold for one team.
Despite having a nine-point advantage, the Cardinals began to struggle in the third quarter. Shot after shot was heading to the net, but was not going in the rim. Opportunity after opportunity came, and they could not make it happen. The Cardinals managed only seven points in the quarter, all of them coming from the foul line. This gave Clearfield a chance to run their offense, and in doing so began to put buckets in and chip away at the lead. The Bison would battle on the glass, and use their speed to get down the court and put points up, as Evett Maines, Braison Patrick, and Elijah Glunt combined for 17 of the team’s 19 points, taking what was a nine-point deficit and turning it into a three-point lead at 43-40.
Patrick finished with a game-high 17 points, adding in another four rebounds. Maines finished with 14 points, and a team-high six rebounds.
The third quarter for the Cardinals was unpleasant, but then the fourth quarter made the entire second half unbearable. Not being able to put a shot in the net was weighing in on the entire roster, and they continued to shoot to try and cut into the lead.
Nothing was working. Every shot was contested, and every ball bounced out. It wasn’t until Brayden Zatsick managed to get an open look behind the arc that the ball went into the net that the Cardinals finally hit a shot from the floor, coming with just over three minutes remaining in the game. That shot, ultimately, was the only one that DCC made the entire fourth quarter, as Clearfield’s three-point lead at the end of the third extended all the way through the fourth quarter.
Clearfield (11-7) is back in action on Wednesday night, weather depending, as they travel to face Bellefonte. The Bison won the first game between the two, 61-51, on December 9.
SCORE BY QUARTER
D.C. Catholic 20 13 7 3 – 43
Clearfield 13 11 19 17 – 60
Dubois Central Catholic – 43
Marek Hoyt 5 2-4 12, Brayden Fox 2 4-4 9, Lucas Fragle 2 0-0 5, Trent Miller 2 0-0 6, Brayden Zatsick 1 0-0 3, Xavier Schwentner 0 1-2 1, Zayden Jordan 3 1-2 7. TOTALS 15 8-12 43.
Clearfield – 60
Parker Collins 4 0-0 10, Evett Maines 6 0-0 14, Braison Patrick 7 2-2 17, Carter Kaskan 2 0-2 4, Kai Lynch 1 0-0 2, Jake Rumforla 0 0-0 0, Elijah Glunt 4 3-3 11, Noah Rumfola 0 0-0 0, Easton Maines 0 0-0 0, JT Strishock 0 0-0 0, Tanner Kaskan 0 0-0 0, Max Luzier 0 0-0 0, Aiden Millinder 0 0-0 0. TOTALS 25 5-7 60.
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 51 – 48 5 – 5
01/15 @ Penns Valley 61 – 40 6 – 5
01/17 @ Bedford 51 – 50 7 – 5
01/20 WEST BRANCH 63 – 40 8 – 5
01/22 BALD EAGLE AREA 43 – 40 9 – 5
01/27 WESTMONT HILLTOP 53 – 70 9 – 6
01/29 CENTRAL 51 – 54 9 – 7
01/31 RICHLAND 50 – 43 10 – 7
02/04 DUBOIS CENTRAL 60 – 43 11 – 7
02/05 @ Bellefonte
02/07 BISHOP GUILFOYLE
02/10 @ Tyrone
02/12 @ Curwensville