CLARION, Pa. – Karns City was making a run early in the fourth quarter of Saturday’s District 9 Class 2A boys’ final against Karns City.
Rewatch the game:
Then the Bulldogs hit another gear.
A 5-point lead swelled to 19 in the blink of an eye as the Bulldogs captured the D9 crown, 76-58.
“It’s a game of runs,” said Redbank Valley coach Manny Marshall. “They were creeping back into it and creeping back into it. I was pleasantly surprised that we were able to go on that run. I was a little worried. They’re a good team, there’s no question. They’re a strong team, physical team, they’re balanced and they shoot the ball well. We wanted to come out and play our game, be explosive and play with high intensity and that’s what we did.”
Twice Karns City had the ball down five with a chance to cut it to a one possession game. Each time they were unable to convert, and after that, Redbank Valley was off to the races.
It was the Mason Clouse show for most of the game for the Bulldogs, but Owen Clouse took over in the fourth quarter, scoring 10 of his 17 points, including a pair of 3-pointers in helping the Bulldogs join their Lady Bulldog counterparts as District 9 champions.
“It’s great for the program and great for the community,” Owen Clouse said.
The two teams started the game at a frenetic pace, as Mason Clouse came out on fire for the Bulldogs, knocking down five first half 3-pointers.
Clouse was 6-of-8 from beyond the arc after previously not attempting a shot from distance in the postseason.
Redbank Valley built a 41-29 halftime lead, but Taite Beighley kept the Gremlins within striking distance, scoring 15 of his team-high 21 points in the first half.
In the second quarter, Owen (eight) and Mason (10) helped the Bulldogs outscore the Gremlins 22-11 to stake them to that halftime lead.
“We wanted to come out and play our game, be explosive and play with high intensity and that’s what we did,” Marshall said.
The pace of the game slowed significantly in the third quarter, with Karns City outscoring Redbank 11-8 to stay within striking distance before the fourth quarter onslaught from the Bulldogs secured them the title.
Redbank Valley’s Mason Clouse.
“We talked about this before in previous championships (in other sports),” Owen Clouse said “These are our dreams, these are our goals to win district championships together, it’s great. It’s something that only in your dreams would happen.”
Mason Clouse finished with 27 points, Owen Clouse 17 and Breckin Minich scored eight of his 14 points in the fourth quarter.
Braylon Wagner was also in double figures for Redbank Valley, while Kieran Fricko netted seven.
Jacob Callihan and Shane Peters were also in double figures for Karns City with 12 and 11 points, respectively.
With the win, Redbank Valley moves on to host WPIAL fourth-place finisher Northgate in the first round of the PIAA Class 2A Tournament. Karns City will host the No. 3 finisher from the WPIAL, Fort Cherry. Both of those games are slated for Saturday, March 9.
“We’re going to think about the state playoffs on Monday,” Marshall said. “We were on a whole one game at a time kick. We’re just going to digest this one and think about the state playoffs come Monday.”
