Clarion Holds Off Keystone, 62-61, in Double Overtime Thriller

Chris Rossetti

Chris Rossetti

Published January 23, 2016 5:20 am
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KNOX, Pa. (D9Sports) — Clarion is making a habit of winning multiple overtime games.

The Bobcats took home their second victory this month in a multiple overtime contest holding off Keystone, 62-61, Friday night in Knox.

“You can’t say enough,” Clarion first-year head coach Jess Quinn said. “We could have easily folded. You get down the the final seconds and kids hit (two shots) to tie it. You can easily be deflated. Our boys didn’t let that happen.”

The Bobcats twice overcame late shots by Keystone.

The Panthers tied the game at 48 at the end of regulation on a layup by Mason Rearick off a Brayden Shick inbounds pass with two seconds to play.

Then, with nine seconds left in the first overtime, Austin Ion drilled a 3-pointer to knot the contest at 53 and force the second overtime.

Keystone then grabbed a 55-53 lead on an Ion layup 11 seconds into the second extra session before Clarion responded with a 9-0 run to take a 62-55 lead with 35 seconds to play.

Jonathan Smith had five of his team-high 19 points in the second overtime, and the senior finished with a double-double thanks to 16 rebounds while adding five blocked shots.

Smith, who didn’t start but played a team-high 29 points,  was one of three Bobcats to reach double digits with Bo Miller adding 15 points and eight rebounds and Cam Craig 15 points,
“Guy stepped up everywhere,” Miller said. “We had guys come off the bench, we had guys pick it up defensively.”

After leading by as many as 10 in the first half, Clarion found itself down seven, 37-30, following a Rearick layup 12 seconds into the fourth quarter.

But the Bobcats, behind Smith, who was held to just five points through the first three quarters, rallied to take a 46-44 lead on a Smith layup with 1:04 to play. That layup ended a 9-2 run for Clarion that included a game-tying 3-pointer from Craig with 1:46 to play in regulation.

Keystone tied the game back up at 46 on a Corey Rapp rebound and putback with 39 seconds to play before Ceventh Lynch-Skunda put the Bobcats back in front, 48-46, with a floater in the lane with 15 seconds to play.

“That was huge for him take that upon his shoulders and deliver for his team,” Quinn said.

Following a timeout, Braden Jones missed a jumper for Keystone, but the ball glanced off of Smith’s hands and out of bounds giving the Panthers another chance.

After another timeout, Rearick got open on the right side of the basket and took the inbounds pass from Shick for the game-tying layup.

In the first overtime, the lead traded hands three times before a Miller jumper put Clarion up 51-50 with 57 seconds left. Reed Anthony then made it a 3-point game with a pair of foul shots with 17.8 to go.

But after another Keystone timeout, Ion buried a three from the left elbow extended to force another overtime. Up until the triple, the Panthers were just 2 of 24 from beyond the arc in the game.

“Both times we just let down our defense,” Miller said explaining how Keystone got two late game-tying shots.”

Even down seven with just a half minute to play in the second overtime, the home team wouldn’t go away.

Shick hit a 3-pointer, Keystone amazingly hit 3 of 4 long bombs in the game’s final 4:09 after the frigid start, to make it 62-58.

Craig then missed two free throws before Ion nailed a 3-pointer as time ran out.

Ion finished with a game-high 24 points for Keystone with Rearick chipped in 16 points and four steals.

Story by Chris Rossetti

CLARION 62, KEYSTONE 61, 2 OVERTIMES

Score by Quarters

Clarion 19 3 8 18 5 9 — 62

Keystone 8 8 19 13 5 8 — 61

CLARION — 62

Bo Miller 6-11 2-2 15, Ty Burford 2-6 1-1 5, Reed Anthony 0-3 2-2 2, Cam Craig 5-10 4-6 15, Ceventh Lynch-Skunda 2-5 1-2 6, Ryan Anthony 0-2 0-0 0, Jonathan Smith 6-12 7-11 19, Spencer Miller 0-2 0-0 0, Craig Kerr 0-0 0-0 0, Luke Nellis 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 21-52 17-24 62.

KEYSTONE — 61

Austin Ion 9-22 2-6 24, Brayden Shick 2-13 0-0 5, Mason Rearick 8-13 0-0 16, Tanner Wilson 2-10 2-2 6, Braden Jones 0-1 1-2 1, Ian Henry 1-1 1-1 3, Mitchell Hogue 0-1 0-0 0, Corey Rapp 1-4 0-0 2, Nate Wingard 2-8 0-0 4. Totals 25-73 6-11 61.

THREE-POINTERS — Clarion 3-14 (B. Miller 1-3, Craig 1-3, Lynch-Skunda 1-4, Buford 0-1, Reed Anthony 0-1, Ryan Anthony 0-2).  Keystone 5-28 (Ion 4-11, Shick 1-8, Rearick 0-3, Wilson 0-1, Hogue 0-1, Rapp 0-2, Wingard 0-2).

 

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