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Clearfield's muscle too much for Punxsy's hustle |
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Written by Dan Walk
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Thursday, 26 February 2009 |
Punxsy senior Allie Miller (31) pours in two of her team-high 11 points over Clearfield's (from left) Annie Janocko, Sarah Kovalick and Amber Byerly during the second quarter Wednesday night in Hyde. (Photo by Dan Walk/The Punxsutawney Spirit)
HYDE -- Wednesday night's District IX Class AAA Semifinal outcome for the Punxsy girls' basketball team encapsulated the Lady Chucks' 2008-09 season.
Whether it was falling behind at the start, struggling to check out, or not being able to hit their shots in the clutch, the Lady Chucks didn't have enough to advance to their eighth-straight district championship and lost to Clearfield, 43-34.
"The things that haunted us all year came back a little bit tonight," said Punxsy head coach Randy Reitz, who for the first time in his eight-year career with the Lady Chucks, failed to reach the district championship game. "We had some shots, but we don't shoot as well here. We tried to make up for it with our defense, but we became a little over-aggressive and put them at the foul line. To top that off, Clearfield shot very well from the foul line."
The Lady Bisons' performance at the free-throw line is what won the game. Clearfield went 20-of-24 from charity stripe.
During a 12-minute span between the start of the second quarter and middle third quarter, 10 of Clearfield's 13 points came from the foul line.
Gwenn Porter and Madison Sopic combined to score more than half of their team's points. Porter totaled a game-best 14 points, including 9-of-13 from the free-throw line. Sopic scored the game's first seven points and finished with 11. She went a perfect 7-of-7 from the foul line.
Senior forward Allie Miller led the Lady Chucks with 11 points, including six during the second quarter. She added five rebounds and four steals.
Five other Lady Chucks scored between three and six points. Amber Fye nailed two three-pointers to score six points.
Jenna Reitz totaled five points and collected four steals, and Lauren Janocha scored all five of her points during the fourth quarter. Baker managed four points and four steals, and Amanda Toven pulled down seven boards to go with three points.
Annie Janocko nailed a two-pointer during every quarter for the Lady Bisons and finished with eight points.
All five of Sarah Kovalick's points were scored during the fourth quarter.
The game was yet another district struggle on the offensive side of the ball for the Lady Chucks.
In the 2007 district championship game, Punxsy entered as the No. 1 seed with an 18-5 record before scoring just six points at halftime and 12 entering the fourth quarter. The Lady Chucks lost to Bradford by a 33-31 score.
In 2008's championship game against St. Marys, Punxsy had four points at halftime before losing by a 51-14 margin.
Punxsy trailed 7-0 thanks to two Sopic buckets and a trio of free-throws. Brittany Baker scored Punxsy's only basket during a 12-3 first stanza in favor of the Lady Bisons (13-10). The Lady Chucks went 1-of-13 from the field during the first frame.
"We just started out on the wrong foot, and then we seemed to be down by 10 or 11," Reitz said. "It was just too much ground to make up."
Punxsy kept up with the Lady Bisons during the second quarter and trailed 23-13 at the break. The deficit was cut to five at 18-13 after back-to-back buckets by Miller before Clearfield closed the first half on a 5-0 run due to going 5-for-7 from the free-throw line while in the bonus.
Punxsy stepped up the defensive pressure during the third quarter, and that led to 10 Clearfield turnovers. Both teams turned the ball over eight times during the first half, as the Lady Bisons more than doubled their turnover total from halftime to the start of the fourth quarter.
A 9-1 run that Punxsy put together during the first four minutes of the third quarter made it a 24-22 game, but Clearfield scored the final four points of the stanza and led 28-22 entering the last eight minutes of the game.
Punxsy slowly chipped away at a nine-point deficit in the fourth quarter, as Reitz's three-pointer with 3:01 left made it a 35-32 game.
During the next minute, Punxsy had the ball with a chance to tie twice, but a couple of shots wouldn't fall.
"We had a couple opportunities to get it tied or get the lead, and we just couldn't convert," Reitz said. "The ball wouldn't drop. That's just been our season."
Up 39-34 and with less than a minute to play, Clearfield went 4-for-4 from the free-throw line to put the game away.
The Lady Bisons advance to meet top-seeded St. Marys at 1 p.m. Saturday at Clarion University for the district championship. Punxsy's season comes to an end at 7-16.
"The kids hustled, they played hard, and we made it a game," Reitz said. "These kids never give up, and I'm proud of them for the hustle they had this season. I just wish we could have won a few more ball games, but they can be proud of what they accomplished. Every time they came on the floor, they gave 100 percent."
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Last Updated ( Friday, 27 February 2009 )
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