North Clarion Edges Redbank Valley, 61-59

Chris Rossetti

Chris Rossetti

Published January 21, 2016 5:20 am
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NEW BETHLEHEM, Pa. (D9Sports) – North Clarion just keeps on finding ways to win.

The She-Wolves (14-2 overall, 9-1 KSAC North) didn’t make things easy on themselves Wednesday night in a 61-59 win at Redbank Valley, having to rally to win after blowing a 10-point second-half win while surviving two last-second shots from Redbank Valley’s 1,700-point career scorer Brooke Hinderliter.

“It’s been all year,” North Clarion head coach Terry Dreihaup said. “We’ve let teams back in it all year long and we’ve managed to come out on top. Tonight, they wouldn’t give up. They came back and pulled it out by two. A very good win for the team.”

North Clarion led 39-29 with 11 ½ minutes to play following a Sarah Schettler layup only to watch Redbank Valley (10-5, 5-5 KSAC South) go on a 20-9 run led by six points from Hinderliter, who finished with a game-high 31 points to go with six rebounds, four steals and three assists, to take a 47-46 lead with 5:12 to play. It was the Lady Bulldogs first lead since 7-6.

“She (Brooke) just stepped up,” Redbank Valley head coach Amy Twigg said. “She was making her shots. Defensively she was doing well. She just stepped up as a leader tonight.”

At that point, the game became a see-saw affair with the lead changing hands seven times over the next couple of minutes with three ties.

The final deadlock came at 58-all following two Hinderliter free throws with 1:10 to play.

But North Clarion grabbed the lead back on a charity shot by Cassie Wagner with 52 second to play, and after Wagner missed her second foul shot, Tori Obenrader came up with a huge offensive rebound and fed Abbie Schmader for a layup that made it a 3-point North Clarion lead, 61-58.

Obenrader, who came into the game averaging 17.7 rebounds per game, had 18 more rebounds while completing her 10th straight double-double and her 15th of the season with a team-high 24 points. Obenrader had 16 points and 11 rebounds in the first half alone.

“She really kept us in the game and in the lead in the first half,” Dreihaup said. “She was shooting well from the outside. She was rebounding and getting a lot of offensive rebounds and putting them back up for a bucket. She was playing all over the court in the first half.”

Schmader also had an outstanding game with 21 points to go with six rebounds. It was her seventh 20-point game of the year.

And while Obenrader and Schmader, as they usually do, led the She-Wolves, North Clarion also got key second-half baskets from Michaela Higgins. Sarah Schettler, Taylor Gatesman and Wagner, who scored 12 points after halftime for the She-Wolves.

“We’ve been talking about it all year long,” Dreihaup said. “There is going to come a time when everyone else is going to have to step up and do their part. Tonight, they did it.”

Clinging to the 3-point lead, North Clarion did its best to allow Redbank Valley a chance to win the game.

First, Obenrader fouled Hinderliter with 29 seconds left out around the 3-point line while she was dribbling the ball. But Hinderliter only made one of two charity shots to cut the lead to 61-59.

Then, with under 20 seconds to play, Wagner had a shot blocked setting up a chance to the Lady Bulldogs to tie or win the game.

Following a timeout, Redbank went for the tie with Hinderliter driving down the left side of the lane. Her first shot was off the mark, but she got her own rebound and had a second opportunity as time was expiring that also went off the mark.

“I told the girls in the huddle, they’re going to give her the ball,” Dreihaup said. “I told them they just had to play good, hard, tough defense and get their arms straight up in the air. If she makes it, she makes it. If she doesn’t, we win the game.”

Twigg said her senior star did exactly as she was instructed.

“I told her to drive it and and try to draw a foul,” Twigg said. “That’s exactly what she tried to do. We didn’t get a call. But, I’m proud of them for fighting back hard. We just came up short.”

Macy King added 11 points, including eight in the second half for Redbank Valley.

“Her points all came at a really critical time,” Twigg said.

Redbank Valley was able to get back into the game because they shot the lights out after halftime.

After connecting on just 8 of 26 first-half shots, the Lady Bulldogs were 16 of 25 in the second 16 minutes, a 64 percent clip.

“I told them to relax, relax and just shoot the ball,” Twigg said. “They just started to make their shots, and it made all the difference in the second half.

Story by Chris Rossetti

NORTH CLARION 61, REDBANK VALLEY 59

Score by Quarters

North Clarion 13 14 19 15 — 61

Redbank Valley 7 13 17 22 — 59

NORTH CLARION — 61

Michaela Higgins 2-2 0-0 5, Abbie Schmader 8-14 5-6 21, Cassie Wagner 2-8 1-2 5, Taylor Gatesman 1-2 0-0 2, Tori Obenrader 7-19 8-9 24, Ally Carll 104 0-0 2, Erika Sherman 0-1 0-0 0, Sarah Schettler 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 22-51 14-17 61.

REDBANK VALLEY — 59

Macy King 5-11 1-2 11, Lexi Holt 2-3 1-2 5, Becca Dougherty 4-13 0-0 8, Brooke Hinderliter 11-18 9-12 31, Sam Landers 2-6 0-0 4, Kera Fink 0-0 0-0 0, Alyssa Wiant 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 24-51 11-16 59.

THREE-POINTERS – North Clarion 3-6 (Obenrader 2-4, Higgins 1-1, Sherman 0-1). Redbank Valley 0-4 (Dougherty 0-3, Hinderliter 0-1).

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