MARTINSBURG — The Clearfield Area High School boys basketball game had an 18-6 lead and visions of a five-game winning streak after one quarter evaporate over the next three periods as host Central rallied for a 50-46 Mountain League victory Friday night.
The game was decided at the foul line, with Reese Wilson converting the Bison’s only three tries.
In contrast, the Scarlet Dragons attempted 29 free throws and made 13.
The Bison were whistled for 21 fouls, 11 more than the Scarlet Dragons. Jon Gates and Taye Lynch both exited early.
Wilson led Clearfield (7-6, 4-4 ML) with 13 points, eight rebounds and five assists, while Wyatt Porter and Jon Gates also reached double figures with 12 and 10 points, respectively.
Cade Walker pulled down seven missed shots for the Bison, whose 25 rebounds matched the Scarlet Dragons’ total.
For Central (11-4, 5-3 ML), 6-5 senior Joey Smith, Preston Karstetter and Noah Muthler scored 14 points apiece to share game honors.
Six points by Porter, five by Wilson, four by Walker and three by Ryan Chew gave the Bison their 12-point lead at the first rest stop.
But the Scarlet Dragons, coming off a 78-41 loss to league-leading Huntingdon Tuesday, bounced back from their slow start to close the gap to 22-19 by halftime and 39-38 after the high-scoring third quarter when Gates had eight of the Bison’s 17 points.
Clearfield managed only field goals from Wilson and Gates in the second period and just three field goals, including Porter’s fourth three-pointer, in the fourth quarter when Central finished with a 12-7 advantage to complete a season sweep of the Bison.
The Bison are booked for three home games next week, starting with a non-league encounter with DuBois Monday night.
CLEARFIELD — 46
Ryan Chew 1 0-0 3, Reese Wilson 5 3-3 13, Jon Gates 4 0-0 10, Wyatt Porter 4 0-0 12, Cade Walker 3 0-0 6, Taye Lynch 1 0-0 2, Karson Rumsky 0 0-0 0, Jake Lezzer 0 0-0 0, Keagan Hess 0 0-0 0. TOTALS: 18 3-3 46.
CENTRAL — 50
Preston Karstetter 5 2-6 14, Joey Smith 5 4-9 14, Luke Williams 1 0-0 3, Thad Albright 1 1-2 3, Noah Muthler 4 5-10 13, Hunter Klotz 0 2-2 2. TOTALS: 16 14-29 50.
Three-Point Field Goals — Clearfield 7 (Chew 1, Gates 2, Porter 4); Central 4 (Karstetter 2, Williams, Muthler 1).
Score by Quarters
Clearfield   18   4 17   7 – 46
Central          6 13 19 12 – 50
Bison Scoreboard:
| Date | Opponent | Score | Record |
| 12/08 | CURWENSVILLE | 54 – 52 | 1 – 0 |
| 12/13 | CENTRAL | 45 – 56 | 1 – 1 |
| 12/15 | @ Huntingdon | 62 – 85 | 1 – 2 |
| 12/20 | @ Bellefonte | 50 – 41 | 2 – 2 |
| 12/28 | @ Purchase Line Christmas Tourney | ||
| 12/28 | vs. Harmony | 73-31 | 3 – 2 |
| 12/29 | @ Purchase Line Christmas Tourney | ||
| 12/29 | vs. Purchase Line | 45 – 56 | 3 – 3 |
| 01/05 | TYRONE | 56 – 63 | 3 – 4 |
| 01/08 | @ Punxsutawney | 54 – 68 | 3 – 5 |
| 01/10 | @ Bald Eagle Area | 56 – 45 | 4 – 5 |
| 01/12 | PENNS VALLEY | 40 – 28 | 5 – 5 |
| 01/15 | @ Clarion-Limestone | 57 – 41 | 6 – 5 |
| 01/16 | @ Philipsburg-Osceola | 49 – 42 | 7 – 5 |
| 01/19 | @ Central | 46 – 50 | 7 – 6 |
| 01/22 | DUBOIS | ||
| 01/24 | HUNTINGDON | ||
| 01/26 | BELLEFONTE | ||
| 01/30 | @ Tyrone | ||
| 02/01 | BROOKVILLE | ||
| 02/02 | BALD EAGLE AREA | ||
| 02/07 | @ Penns Valley | ||
| 02/09 | PHILIPSBURG-OSCEOLA | ||
| 02/12 | @ Curwensville |
