Bison Overcome Fourth Quarter Comeback Attempt of Bellwood-Antis

HYDE — Through three quarters of play, it seemed as though the Clearfield Bison were in control, no true worries, and felt as though they were on their way to an easy victory over the visiting Bellwood-Antis Blue Devils.  However, any night on the hardwood could see things change in an instant.  That happened as the final eight minutes were anything but easy for Clearfield.

Somehow, even with a rally that saw the visitors triple the scoring output of Clearfield in the final eight minutes, an unbeaten record still remained for the Bison after a 64-60 triumph that very easily could have gone the other way.

“That’s our conference, the Laurel Highlands. You can’t relax,” Bison head coach Nate Glunt said afterwards. “I have never seen a team catch fire like that. They were banking (three’s) in, making them from the bottom of the line, or far back. They were playing with an extreme amount of confidence at the end of the game.”

Glunt watched as his team, leading 56-36 after 24 minutes of play put up a free throw to start the quarter. Suddenly, the Blue Devils got going in a hurry, starting with Colin McClellan putting up a quick layup to cut the lead to 19. That bucket would start an 11-1 run as a trio of three-point shots took a huge lead and cut it quickly down before Glunt called a timeout just about halfway into the quarter. Evett Maines and Braison Patrick would add in a couple inside shots, but the Blue Devils were not going away quietly, slashing the lead to single digits as the three-point shots continued to fall.

The fourth quarter alone saw eight shots behind the arc, and five of them dropping.

Jackson Dorminy would catch fire in the second half, putting up four of those deep shots in the fourth quarter, part of his 25-point night.

Early on, the Bison were finding penetration in the paint, and it led to quick points and a big lead. Braison Patrick lit up the net in the first quarter, putting up 12 points in quick fashion, as the Bison jumped out to a 20-7 lead.

Clearfield outscored the Blue Devils for three quarters, as Patrick put up a game-high 27 points, coupled with seven rebounds. But, Glunt outright acknowledged that the shortfall of his team was the play at the end.

“We have to play better in the fourth quarter, going forward. Give them credit, making shots, but we were able to make enough shots to win,” he said. “But, we just have to get back to work tomorrow to improve.

Clearfield’s lead also was nearly lost as the opportunities at free points were not falling their way. In the final quarter, the Bison only shot 33 percent from the free throw line, just 4-for-12. For the game, the Bison went 9-for-21 at the line. What saved them in the final quarter overall was being able to get rebounds when it counted. The Bison took the win on the boards, pulling in 30 compared to the Blue Devils, who managed 23.

Alongside Patrick, Maines would finish in double-digits, putting up 19 points. Parker Collins, although limited to a single field goal, managed to lead the team on the boards with 10 rebounds.

Clearfield may have won the game, but it was a night that it could have gone the opposite way for Glunt’s team. Despite that, he felt a lot of lessons came from the game, and his squad will get better because of it.

“We can learn from it. The stuff Bellwood did against us, taking advantage of what we were doing, we can learn from it,” Glunt said.

The Bison did drop the junior varsity contest to start the evening, 52-47.

Although the Bison hold a 6-0 record, the Christmas break is not one where Clearfield will be on the sidelines. A pair of games back-to-back are on the schedule for next week to close out the 2025 portion of the schedule, starting on Monday, December 29. The Bison won’t have far to travel, as a quick ride up Route 879 will welcome them into Patton Hall for a battle against the Curwensville Golden Tide.

The jayvee squad will be in action, although earlier than normal, with a 4:30 p.m. tip. Varsity action will follow at approximately 6 p.m.

SCORE BY QUARTER

Bellwood-Antis 7 14 15 24 – 60
Clearfield 20 16 20 8 – 64

Bellwood-Antis – 60

Jackson Dorminy 8 3-6 25, Colin Gibbons 1 0-2 2, Curtis Shedlock 1 2-2 5, Connor Mayes 3 0-0 7, Colin McClellan 4 2-2 12, Quinn Leeper 2 0-0 5, Brady McConnell 0 1-2 1, Killian Worthing 0 0-0 0, Mrenden McNellis 0 0-2 0, Keegan Shanafelt 0 0-0 0, Braylon Litzinger 0 0-0 0, Lucas Gonzalez 1 0-0 3. TOTALS 20 8-16 60.

Clearfield – 64

Parker Collins 1 0-0 2, Evett Maines 6 4-6 19, Elijah Glunt 0 0-0 0, Braison Patrick 10 4-11 27, Tanner Kaskan 3 0-2 6, Noah Rumfola 2 0-0 4, Easton Maines 1 0-0 3, Cooper Broad 1 1-2 3, JT Strishock 0 0-0 0. TOTALS 24 9-21 64.

GAME STATISTICS
Bellwood-Antis/Clearfield

• Shooting: 20-49/24-50
• Rebounds: 23/30
• Fouls: 16/15
• Turnovers: 12/15
• Three-Point Shots: Dorminy-6, Shedlock, Mayes, McClellan-2, Leeper, Gonzalez/Ev. Maines-3, Patrick-3, Ea. Maines
• Foul Out: Dorminy

Clearfield Bison Basketball Scoreboard