HYDE — No one was happier to see the inside of the Bison Gymnasium than all the fans that came out for a double-header night on the hardwood Friday night. The dangerously cold temperatures outside were enough of an incentive to have a big crowd on hand as Clearfield would get to play another double-header on the season, this time on the home gym.
Coming in to do battle was Central Cambria, delivering a Laurel Highlands crossover for those in attendance.
The ladies would be the team to start the evening, and it would be an evening that despite solid execution, was not enough. The Lady Red Devils showed why they were a strong squad this season, handing Clearfield a 78-61 victory that dropped their record on the year to 11-5.
The Lady Bison would be slow going to start the game, and that proved to be a deciding factor. Central Cambria was able to outscore the team in each quarter. Clearfield would keep it close on occasion, despite being down 13-7 early. They would pull closer in the second quarter, but the slow start was hard to overcome. By halftime, the six-point gap extended to nine, and as the night wore on, the girls were constantly fighting from behind.
It was a good night for Sonny Diehl, finishing as the high scorer with a 31-point effort. Eve Helsel backed her up with 16 points of her own. On the opposite side, the Lady Red Devils had three in double figures. Katie George finished the win with 25 points, Rowen Ruddek added in 14, with Delany Snyder finishing with 10.
A few days of rest for the girls comes as they will be on the court Monday, traveling to face Huntingdon, the second time the two have met this season. Clearfield won the first contest, 71-54, back on December 10.
SCORE BY QUARTER-Girls
Central Cambria 13 22 26 17 – 78
Clearfield 7 19 21 14 – 61
Central Cambria – 78
Alaina Long 4 0-2 8, Katie George 6 10-10 25, Camryn Matlin 1 0-0 3, Rowyn Ruddek 6 0-0 14, Mackenzie Hite 4 0-0 9, Paige Alexander 2 0-0 5, Gianna Girmaldi 2 0-0 4, Delaney Snyder 5 0-0 10. TOTALS 30 10-12 78.
Clearfield – 61
Sonny Diehl 14 2-3 31, Eve Helsel 6 1-2 16, Mia Helsel 1 0-0 3, Riley Cummings 1 0-0 3, Myleigh Hudson 2 0-0 6, Elia Evilsizor 1 0-0 2. TOTALS 25 3-5 61.
Clearfield Lady Bison Scoreboard
| DATE AND OPPONENT | SCORE | RECORD |
| 12/3 at Hollidaysburg | 37-58 | 0-1 |
| 12/6 vs. St. Mary’s (Brockway Tip-Off Tournament) | 59-47 | 1-1 |
| 12/6 vs. Brockway (Brockway Tip-Off Tournament) | 79-34 | 2-1 |
| 12/10 HUNTINGDON | 71-54 | 3-1 |
| 12/12 at Philipsburg-Osceola (6:15 p.m.) | 41-18 | 4-1 |
| 12/17 PENNS VALLEY | 65-57 | 5-1 |
| 12/19 CHESTNUT RIDGE (6 p.m.) | PPD. | 5-1 |
| 12/22 at Bellwood-Antis | 51-73 | 5-2 |
| 1/5 CHESTNUT RIDGE (5 p.m.) | 64-38 | 6-2 |
| 1/7 BALD EAGLE AREA (6:30 p.m.) | 51-12 | 7-2 |
| 1/12 CENTRAL HIGH | 68-65 | 8-2 |
| 1/14 BELLEFONTE (6:30 p.m.) | 60-18 | 9-2Â |
| 1/16 at Forest Hills (6 p.m.) | 42-77 | 9-3 |
| 1/19 at Bishop Guilfoyle | 34-62 | 9-4 |
| 1/22 at Tyrone | 69-48 | 10-4 |
| 1/24 at Somerset (5 p.m.) | PPD. | 10-4 |
| 1/29 DUBOIS CATHOLIC | 67-36 | 11-4 |
| 1/30 CENTRAL CAMBRIA (6 p.m.) | 61-78 | 11-5 |
| 2/2 at Huntingdon | Â | Â |
| 2/5 PHILIPSBURG-OSCEOLA (6:15 p.m.) | Â | Â |
| 2/6 HOLLIDAYSBURG | Â | Â |
| 2/9 at Penns Valley | Â | Â |
| 2/10 at Punxsutawney (7:15 p.m.) | Â | Â |
| 2/14 at Somerset (1:15 p.m.) | Â | Â |
A break in the action to reset the scoreboard and have the next round of referees and statisticians take their places, while the guys got a chance to warm up and prepare for the night cap game.
By contrast to the girls, the slow start was not seen anywhere by the Bison round-ballers. The Bison quickly got to work, pushing the pace on the court, and getting out to an early lead. That lead became insurmountable as Clearfield rolled to their 15th win of the year, downing the Red Devils, 78-38.
The Bison got out to a fast start as Braison Patrick led the charge, draining 13 of the team’s 26 first-quarter points. Defensively, they held Central Cambria to just 25 through the entire first half. Clearfield matched their first-quarter scoring in the second, taking a 52-25 lead into the break, just outside of the threshold for a running clock. Patrick would lead all scoring for the game, finishing with 25 points. Elijah Glunt also hit double figures with 14 points, while Parker Collins accounted for 13.
The third quarter saw the Red Devils fall apart, as the game quickly got away from them and saw the squad combined account for only one field goal.
Clearfield had the running clock going in the third, giving a chance for the starters and most of the rotation to get a deserved curtain call and allow the coaches to get an opportunity for the younger players that are coming up a chance to play under the varsity lights.
At 15-2, the Bison are back in action on Saturday as they will travel to Brookville for non-league competition. The two were slated to play on December 26, however the aftermath of Winter Storm Fern pushed the game to the end of the week.
SCORE BY QUARTER-Boys
Central Cambria 15 10 3 10 – 38
Clearfield 26 26 16 10 – 78
Central Cambria – 38
Chase Sinosky 1 0-0 2, JD Blouse 5 3-4 14, Ridge Kutchman 1 1-5 3, Brayden Swope 3 0-0 7, Rocco Barra 1 0-0 3, Brennon McClosky 1 1-2 3, Garrett James 0 1-2 1, Ben Muldoon 0 0-0 0, Eric Jackson 0 1-2 1, Jake Fisher 0 0-0 0, Tyler Staruch 0 0-0 0, Isaac Oravec 1 0-0 2, Reed Takacs 0 0-0 0. TOTALS 13 7-15 38.
Clearfield – 78
Parker Collins 6 0-1 13, Evett Maines 4 0-0 9, Braison Patrick 15 1-1 25, Elijah Glunt 5 0-0 14, Tanner Kaskan 1 0-0 2, Noah Rumfola 0 0-0 0, Easton Maines 3 0-0 7, Cooper Broad 0 0-0 0, JT Strishock 0 0-0 0, Ethan Coudriet 1 0-0 3, Demitri Vitullo 0 0-0 0, Dominic Natoli 1 0-0 3, Nolan Livergood 1 0-0 2, Avery Schneck 0 0-0 0, Zach Porter 0 0-0 0, Caleb Gibson 0 0-0 0, Nico Natoli 0 0-0 0. TOTALS 37 1-2 78.
Clearfield Bison Basketball Scoreboard
| DATE AND OPPONENT | SCORE | RECORD |
| 12/2 HOLLIDAYSBURG | PPD. | 0-0 |
| 12/4 HOLLIDAYSBURG | 71-59 | 1-0 |
| 12/8 at Huntingdon | 69-45 | 2-0 |
| 12/11 PHILIPSBURG-OSCEOLA | 76-30 | 3-0 |
| 12/15 at Penns Valley | 61-45 | 4-0 |
| 12/17 at Somerset (6:15 p.m.) | 71-39 | 5-0 |
| 12/19 CHESTNUT RIDGE | PPD. | 5-0 |
| 12/22 BELLWOOD-ANTIS | 64-60 | 6-0 |
| 12/29 at Curwensville (6 p.m.) | 56-31 | 7-0 |
| 12/30 CHESTNUT RIDGE | 87-40 | 8-0 |
| 1/5 at Bald Eagle Area | 69-43 | 9-0Â |
| 1/8 at West Branch | 81-42 | 10-0 |
| 1/12 at Central | 56-44 | 11-0 |
| 1/14 at Bellefonte | 73-52 | 12-0 |
| 1/16 at Forest Hills | 44-72 | 12-1 |
| 1/21 BISHOP GUILFOYLE | PPD. | 12-1 |
| 1/22 BISHOP GUILFOYLE | 53-48 | 13-1 |
| 1/23 TYRONE | 82-65 | 14-1 |
| 1/26 at Brookville (7:15 p.m.) | PPD. | 14-1 |
| 1/28 at Hollidaysburg | 53-55 | 14-2 |
| 1/30 CENTRAL CAMBRIA | 78-38 | 15-2 |
| 1/31 at Brookville | Â | Â |
| 2/4 HUNTINGDON | Â | Â |
| 2/5 at Philipsburg-Osceola | Â | Â |
| 2/9 PENNS VALLEY | Â | Â |
| 2/10 PUNXSUTAWNEY (7:15 p.m.) | Â | Â |
