HYDE — After having to experience a tough go the last time they took to the Bison Gym, Head Coach Joey Castagnolo was ready to see his Lady Bison hit the hardwood with a fresh look to put the heartache of their contest against the Chucks behind them. This time, a young, and rebuilding Lady Eagle squad from Bald Eagle provided the opposition on this occasion.
From the first shot to the last whistle, the story was one player having a career night. Megan Durandetta, after struggling the last few games to find some rhythm, put on the performance of the season. Her game-high, and career-high, 17 points helped fuel Clearfield to a 45-22 triumph, a game that Castagnolo knew his girls deserved, and more importantly, needed.
“We needed this win in a big way, for confidence. Megan has been struggling, but she took her time with her shot, and when she does, she’s very deadly,” Castagnolo said. “Tonight, she slowed down, and I’m real happy for her. With Bald Eagle’s freshmen and their struggles, she’s going to shine.”
It was her deep shooting that started things off quickly in the first quarter, as she put down three shots from beyond the arc to help pull Clearfield to an early 11-2 advantage. When she wasn’t getting those shots to go down, the play inside gave a few other opportunities, thanks to Nicolette Brossard and Tess Miller playing hard in the paint to get a combined 13 rebounds, giving the Lady Bison opportunities for second-chance points.
Although Brossard and Miller had six and two points, respectively, Castagnolo could see the way they were running the offense was having an effect on how the game was played.
“I told them at halftime they weren’t scoring much, but they were controlling the inside game. The passing inside confused them (Bald Eagle),” he said. “And they don’t have to score, we have other scorers, but they played smart with four fouls each, right up till I took them out of the game.”
Clearfield had one other player hit double digits, Alayna Ryan. In what could be considered a bit of an off-night, she finished with 12 points, five rebounds, eight assists and three steals.
“Alayna had a sub-par game. I’m not sure if she was sick, but she had a sub-par game and still had 12 points,” Castagnolo said.
No player from Bald Eagle scored more than five points, as the Lady Eagles were only 8-for-46 from the floor. Georgia Lingle led BEA with five points from the bench, with Morgan Chambers and Mariah Veneziano leading the starters with four points each.
“We scrapped, and it’s tough to play against a caliber of team that struggles like that,” Castagnolo said.  “Our uptempo style will create turnovers. We executed, and I called a lot of plays so the girls could try different things. I was happy.”
Clearfield couldn’t double up on the night, as the Lady Eagles took the opening jayvee game in a low-scoring 24-16 final.
More than anything, Castagnolo is glad to get the win not just for what it did for the team on this night, but what it will do going forward.
“Keep the confidence, because we have four games in a week. They need the confidence because we’re facing some teams that are really good, and some teams we should be able to handle,” Castagnolo said.
It is more like five games in a nine-day span, as the Lady Bison (4-6) are back on the road this Friday night to face Penns Valley. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.
SCORE BY QUARTER
Bald Eagle  5  6  7  4 – 22
Clearfield  15  11  10  9 – 45
Bald Eagle – 22
L. Barnhart 0 0-0 0, Skripele 1 1-4 3, Chambers 2 0-0 4, M. Veneziano 1 0-0 2, T. Lingle 0 0-0 0, Buuha 1 0-0 2, R. Veneziano 1 0-0 2, Cunningham 0 0-0 0, Holler 1 2-2 4, G. Lingle 1 2-2 5, ROgers 0 0-0 0, Onder 0 0-0 0, Dyke 0 0-0 0, A. Barnhart 0 0-0 0. TOTALS 8 5-8 22.
Clearfield – 45
Durandetta 5 2-3 17, Brossard 3 0-0 6, Cline 3 1-2 7, Ryan 5 2-2 12, Vantassel 0 0-0 0, Gisewhite 0 0-0 0, Rowles 0 0-0 0, Alt 0 0-0 0, Rhine 0 1-2 1, Miller 1 0-0 2. TOTALS 17 6-9 45.
GAME STATISTICS
Bald Eagle/Clearfield
Shooting:Â 8-46/17-46
Rebounds:Â 17/26
Turnovers:Â 29/33
Fouls:Â 9/12
Three-Point Baskets:Â G. Lingle/Durandetta (5)
Lady Bison Scoreboard:
| Date | Opponent | Score | Record |
| 12/09 | @ Brookville Tip-off Tourney | ||
| 12/09 | vs. North Clarion | 51 – 58 | 0 – 1 |
| 12/10 | vs. Clarion-Limestone | 60 – 19 | 1 – 1 |
| 12/13 | @ Central | 30 – 46 | 1 – 2 |
| 12/15 | HUNTINGDON | 32 – 54 | 1 – 3 |
| 12/18 | @ Brookville | 48 – 65 | 1 – 4 |
| 12/19 | BELLEFONTE | 51 – 42 | 2 – 4 |
| 12/22 | @ DuBois | 36 – 41 | 2 – 5 |
| 12/28 | @ Curwensville | 45 – 15 | 3 – 5 |
| 01/03 | PUNXSUTAWNEY | 24 – 41 | 3 – 6 |
| 01/05 | @ Tyrone | ppd. | 3 – 6 |
| 01/09 | BALD EAGLE AREA | 45 – 22 | 4 – 6 |
| 01/12 | @ Penns Valley | ||
| 01/15 | @ St. Marys | ||
| 01/17 | PHILIPSBURG-OSCEOLA | ||
| 01/19 | CENTRAL | ||
| 01/20 | @ Tyrone | ||
| 01/23 | @ Huntingdon | ||
| 01/26 | @ Bellefonte | ||
| 01/31 | TYRONE | ||
| 02/02 | @ Bald Eagle Area | ||
| 02/06 | PENNS VALLEY | ||
| 02/09 | @ Philipsburg-Osceola | ||
| 02/13 | CURWENSVILLE |
