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Lady Bisons fall in D-9 playoffs
Wednesday, March 03, 2010
By Jon Christoff Sports Writer
PUNXSUTAWNEY - The top two things on Clearfield girls' basketball coach Joey Castagnolo's keys to Tuesday's District 9 Class AAA semifinal game at Punxsutawney were controlling the tempo and taking care of the basketball.
Unfortunately for the Lady Bisons, the Lady Chucks held an edge in both categories.
Clearfield didn't help its cause much with a 10-minute-plus scoring drought, either.
After a Breanna Peters bucket with 4:25 left in the first half tied the contest at 18, the Lady Bisons couldn't crack the scoreboard until there was 3:50 remaining in the third quarter.
Clearfield began the second quarter by making its first four shots, but then proceeded to miss its next 11. The result was an insurmountable 17-point deficit.
The Lady Chucks, who forced 21 Clearfield turnovers and committed just 12 of their own, held off one late Lady Bison flurry for a 49-36 triumph.
"When you go against a good team, that can't happen," said Castagnolo of the drought. "We didn't take advantage of the opportunities and the turnovers ... that's a difference of nine. That's nine possessions.
"We just didn't take care of the basketball. I don't know if it was the environment (but) we're all seniors, so it shouldn't happen. The missed layups in the first half just destroyed our confidence. It just destroyed us."
The Lady Chucks' balanced offense proved to be too tough to contain as well.
Punxsy played just six girls in the contest, but four scored at least seven points - three of who were in double digits.
Hannah Neal provided a spark from behind the 3-point line in the first quarter for the Lady Chucks, while teammate Amber Fye knocked down two of her own in a pivotal stretch of the second quarter - one answered Peters' bucket to give her team the lead for good.
"(Neal) hadn't done anything against us," Castagnolo said of their regular season meetings. "(She hits those 3-pointers) and we start worrying about her, and then Fye got hot right at the top of the key in the second quarter. That broke our back."
The Lady Bisons struggled to contain the inside presence of Shawna Crago in the third, as the 5-foot-10 forward scored seven of her 11 points in the frame.
Crago's physical play created problems for Clearfield, which committed seven fouls in the third quarter alone.
With the outside shooting and the post play, Castagnolo was forced to vacate his 1-3-1 zone for a man-to-man defense.
"We got in foul trouble and we started getting frustrated," said Castagnolo. "They took us right out of our game, and we had to go man-to-man. We don't play man that much and I thought we did a decent job, but they know how to attack man.
"With that big of a lead, they're deadly. They handle the ball well. I think the kids felt that in the fourth quarter ... that they dug themselves too big of a hole."
After the Lady Chucks opened a 35-18 lead, the Lady Bisons finally ended the scoring drought with a foul shot from Elizabeth Peters. Teammate Jayme Ryan knocked down back-to-back 3-pointers to breathe some life into their squad.
Madison Sopic cut the deficit to 10 to open the fourth quarter with two of her team-high 10 points, but the Lady Chucks put the game away with another run that ended three minutes after it began.
Following Sopic's bucket, Punxsy netted the next seven points to put the game out of reach.
Elizabeth Peters snapped the stretch with a three-point play at the 4:19 mark, but the Lady Chucks took the air out of the basketball and played keep away from there on out.
"That's what we stressed all week at practice - going to the basket and not going side to side," said Castagnolo, whose team finished with a 15-8 record. "We attacked at times, but not all the time. (Punxsy) played well. The crowd was into it. It's just a sad way for the seven seniors to end their careers.
"I know the kids had their hearts set on going to Clarion. We had a little bit better of a season record, but 15 wins against quality competition ... I'll take it. The seniors gave their all their whole career. It's just a sad way to end the season. I take my hat off to Punxsy. They played an excellent game against us."
The Lady Chucks advance to Saturday's title game at Clarion University, where they'll tangle with top seeded St. Marys - a team they split with during the regular season.
Neal and Fye led all scorers with 14 points apiece. Clearfield-36
Porter 1 0-0 2, Ja. Ryan 3 0-0 8, Sopic 4 2-2 10, E. Peters 3 2-3 8, Byerly 2 2-2 6, Moore 0 0-0 0, B. Peters 1 0-0 2, Zalno 0 0-0 0, Thompson 0 0-0 0, Ambuski 0 0-0 0. Totals: 14 6-7 36.
Punxsutawney-49
Reitz 0 3-6 3, Neal 6 0-1 14, McCully 3 1-2 7, Fye 4 3-4 14, Crago 4 3-5 11, Paulina 0 0-0 0. Totals: 17 10-18 49.
Three-pointers: Ja. Ryan 2; Fye 3, Neal 2.
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