HYDE — Fans that survived the treacherous drive to the Clearfield Area Junior-Senior High School, thanks to the sudden snowstorm that hit the area right when many were heading out, got one of the ultimate treats on the season. Fresh off a big win against P-O, the Lady Bison were eager to get on the hardwood and continue the strong season. Friday night, it was the Lady Blue Devils of Bellwood-Antis providing the competition.
What a competitive game it ended up being, after both teams had a sluggish start. Clearfield fell behind by double digits in the second half, but the tenacity, and desire, took over. Thanks to some timely turnovers, and successful foul shooting, the Lady Bison stunned the crowd with a 51-46 victory that could be considered the defining win of the year thus far.
“I had to take some time with the team and tell them how proud I was of them. They hung around for all four quarters,” Lady Bison head coach Missy Helsel said afterwards.
The early portion of the game was a bit sluggish for both squads. Clearfield quickly got out to a 6-0 run, while Bellwood never got their first points until just over two minutes remained in the first quarter. After eight minutes, the Lady Bison held a slim 8-5 advantage, but Bellwood began battling hard in the next stanza. Lilly Gerwert, the tallest of the Lady Blue Devils, began getting aggressive and pushing the pace to her teammates.
In the second, Bellwood-Antis turned up the pressure, taking their first lead of the game and putting Clearfield in a tough spot to rally. But, the Lady Bison kept their fast pace and were able to with seconds remaining in the half get a key inside bucket by Mia Helsel to take a slim 19-18 lead into the locker room.
But, the Lady Blue Devils were the ones coming out of the locker room ready to play, as they put on a dominant performance in the third quarter.
Defensively, they did not cause many turnovers, but they forced some tough shots, and the Lady Bison also had struggles in getting even the simplest of shots to drain. Clearfield went only 2-for-15 from the floor in the third, while Bellwood went 8-for-13. Suddenly, Clearfield’s lead in the first half became a four-possession gap heading into the final quarter. Early in the fourth, Clearfield found itself down 42-29, and the Lady Blue Devils took a time out after getting across midcourt to set up strategy for the latter part of the game.
That latter part was the game changer.
Clearfield suddenly went on a 7-0 run to cut the lead to five points, courtesy of a bucket by Alayna Winters and a huge trey by Hannah Glunt. But, the biggest play was yet to come, and it came without Clearfield possessing the ball.
It was on an inbounds pass on the Bison baseline by Bellwood. As Marissa Cacciotti tossed the ball into play, freshman Sonny Diehl made a break and stole the ball right on the pass, as if she was a cornerback on the football field. She grabbed the ball, took it to the hoop, and suddenly the Bison were within a possession. Clearfield found itself in a tight spot when Glunt had to head to the sideline after fouling out, but teammate Cayleigh Walker suddenly took to the hoop with assertiveness and drive.
Her consistent play against Gerwert ultimately drew a fifth foul, and Walker would put down the ensuing free throws. She would put up 10 of her game-high 20 points in the fourth quarter. She would finish a double-double effort by adding in 11 rebounds. In the final quarter, Clearfield shot 10-for-14 from the foul line, with many shots coming after Bellwood had reached the five-foul threshold. The new rule was not lost on Helsel, as the elimination of the 1-and-1 opportunity has certainly changed the game.
“This new five-foul rule is interesting. We’ve definitely benefitted from it at times, especially when we are hot from the line. We practice a lot of foul shooting,” she said. “I don’t mind it, yet. I mean, we play aggressive, and sometimes we’re the ones in that position. We’re going to continue to play that way.”
Mia Helsel also got in double figures, adding in 12 points for the night. Diehl added in 11 boards for Clearfield, plus a six-pack of steals in the victory. Gerwert, despite fouling out, led Bellwood with 16 points, with Cacciotti adding in another 14.
In the final quarter, Bellwood could not follow through in shooting, going only 3-for-13 from the floor, and failed to convert six foul shots. For the game, the visitors could only muster a 4-for-14 stat at the foul line, none coming more critical than in the final quarter.
Clearfield’s crew was clearly tired at the end of the game, something that Helsel tried to help in the fourth quarter.
“The girls were huffin’ and puffin’, that’s for sure. They were breathing hard at the pace we were playing. I usually try to keep a timeout or two for late in the game to allow them a breather, but at the end, because of the score and pressure, I ran out,” she said. “They are still young, and learning, so they have to understand how to calm down in those situations, and understand the discipline to pull out a game like that. They did an absolute fantastic job when it came down to the finish.”
Clearfield (7-5) is immediately back on the court Monday night when they travel to face Penns Valley.
SCORE BY QUARTER
Bellwood-Antis 5 13 20 8 – 46
Clearfield 8 11 8 24 – 51
Bellwood-Antis – 46
Chloe Hammond 0 0-2 0, Leigha Clapper 2 1-4 5, Lilly Gerwert 7 1-4 16, Jenna Norton 2 2-2 7, Lainey Quick 0 0-0 0, Marissa Cacciotti 5 0-0 14, Lily McNelis 0 0-0 0, Ava Worthing 1 0-2 2. TOTALS 17 4-14 46.
Clearfield – 51
Sonny Diehl 4 0-4 8, Hannah Glunt 3 1-2 9, Alayna Winters 1 0-0 2, Cayleigh Walker 6 8-13 20, Mia Helsel 2 7-8 12, Myleigh Hudson 0 0-0 0. TOTALS 16 16-27 51.
GAME STATISTICS
Bellwood-Antis/Clearfield
- Shooting: 17-52/16-44
- Rebounds: 30/35
- Fouls: 19/13
- Turnovers: 19/12
- Three-Point Shots: Gerwert, Norton, Cacciotti-4/Glunt-2, Helsel
- Foul-Out: Gerwert/Glunt
- Sideline Warning: Clearfield, 4:11 in 4th
LADY BISON SCOREBOARD:
Date Opponent Score Record
12/01 @ Brookville Tip-Off Tourney vs. North Clarion 49 – 37 1 – 0
12/02 @ Brookville Tip-Off Tourney vs. Brookville 50 – 23 2 – 0
12/06 @ Central 43 – 57 2 – 1
12/08 GREATER JOHNSTOWN 43 – 60 2 – 2
12/13 BELLEFONTE 72 – 50 3 – 2
12/15 @ Bishop Guilfoyle 38 – 46 3 – 3
12/20 TYRONE 61 – 43 4 – 3
12/22 @ Hollidaysburg 29 – 64 4 – 4
01/03 HUNTINGDON 54 – 45 5 – 4
01/05 @ Westmont Hilltop 34 – 54 5 – 5
01/10 @ Philipsburg-Osceola 71 – 42 6 – 5
01/12 BELLWOOD-ANTIS 51 – 46 7 – 5
01/15 @ Penns Valley
01/18 BEDFORD
01/22 BALD EAGLE AREA
01/24 DUBOIS CENTRAL CATHOLIC
01/29 CENTRAL
02/02 @ Richland
02/05 @ Bellefonte
02/08 BISHOP GUILFOYLE
02/12 @ Tyrone
02/14 @ Curwensville