Feb. 2 District 9 Girls’ Basketball Recaps
CLARION 43, MONITEAU 42
CLARION, Pa. – Payton Simko’s layup with about 1.6 seconds left gave Clarion a come-from-behind, 43-42, win over visiting Moniteau.
Trailing by one, Clarion inbounded the basketball following a missed free throw by Catherine Kelly with 5.4 seconds to play needing to go the length of the court.
Jordan Best threw a half-court pass to Erica Selfridge, who somehow caught it between Kelly and Aslyn Pry. Selfridge then passed to Simko, who laid it up and in on the left side of the hoop for the game-winning basket.
The game-winning basket capped a comeback from as many as 11 down in the first half for the Lady Cats, who also trailed by six, 42-36, with 1:45 to play. It also marked just the second lead of the game for Clarion and it’s first since 2-0.
Simko and Selfridge talked about the final play
The game-winning shot also marked the third straight quarter Clarion beat the horn with a basket.
Best hit a shot just before halftime and Simko found the bottom of the net as time ran out in the third quarter.
Best’s basket just before the break helped Clarion, which trailed 25-14 late in the first half, get within seven, 25-18, at halftime. Simko’s shot at the end of the third quarter pulled the Lady Cats within five, 32-27.
Clarion then got within one, 37-36, with under four minutes to play in the game before Aslyn Pry (three points) and Camryn Fallen (two) pushed the Moniteau lead back to six, 42-36.
Selfridge, however, hit a 3-pointer with about 1:40 to play to make it 42-39.
Best then got Clarion within one, 42-41, with a basket with around 13 seconds to play, and Kelly was called for a walk after tough defense by Selfridge with 10.7 left.
A wild shot by Best, however, went out of bounds giving Moniteau the ball back with 6.5 seconds left.
Kelly was then fouled with 5.4 to play, and her free throw was ruled to have missed everything – although it appeared as though it might have hit the front of the rim – giving Clarion the ball out of bounds.
Best led Clarion with 13 points with Simko adding eight, including six in the fourth quarter, and Ava Cherico and Noel Anthony seven apiece. Selfridge chipped in with six.
Pry had a double-double for Moniteau with a game-high 16 points to go with 11 rebounds. Kelly added nine points. Abbey Jewart also had six on a pair of 3-pointers for Moniteau.
It was the second close game between the teams this year with Moniteau rallying from 13 down to win 51-45 in overtime at Moniteau Dec. 11.
Brockway, Brookville, Clarion, DuBois, and DCC recaps are powered by Computer Support in Clarion.
Payton Simko
KEYSTONE 51, A-C VALLEY 18
KNOX, Pa. – Emily Lauer became the ninth player in Keystone girls’ basketball history to score 1,000 career points when she netted 16 points in a 51-18 win over visiting Karns City.
Needing 16 to get to 1,000, Lauer hit the mark in the fourth quarter.
Watch the game (Lauer’s 1,000th point comes near the end of the game on the last two points scored by Keystone) via Keystone’s YouTube Broadcast.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65LqzuXGTA8
Danae Hurrelbrink added nine points for Keystone who also got eight apiece from Natalie Bowser, Maddie Dunlap, and Jozee Weaver.
Emma Johns paced Karns City with eight points.
Lauer is the first Keystone player to score 1,000 points since Taylor Geer, who graduated in 2018 with 1,401 career tallies.
Editor’s Note: D9and10sports.com is slated to do a video interview with Lauer Wednesday afternoon
Emily Lauer (center) with teammates Maddie Dunlap (left) and Danae Hurrelbrink (right) after scoring her 1,000th career point. Photo by Diane McMunn
OTTO-ELDRED 38, ST. MARYS 34
DUKE CENTER, Pa. – Trailing by seven at halftime, Otto-Eldred rallied in the second half for a 38-34 win over visiting St. Marys.
The Lady Terrors were down 22-15 at halftime but outscored the Lady Dutch 23-12 in the second half, including 11-5 in the fourth quarter.
Anna Merry led the second-half charge with seven points, all seven she scored in the game to go with three rebounds and three steals.
Also scoring seven points for Otto-Eldred were Katie Sheeler Kayley Heller with Heller also gathering four rebounds to go with two steals and an assist. Emmalee Sheeler chipped in six points.
Jade Lindemuth had a game-high nine points on three 3-pointers for St. Marys with Samantha Hayes adding eight points and Isabelle Caskey seven.
VENANGO CATHOLIC 57, UNION 54
OIL CITY, Pa. – Behind freshman Lily Homan, Venango Catholic held off a late fourth-quarter charge from visiting Union to give head coach Skip Homan his first win, 57-54.
Lily Homan scored a career-high 28 points and was strong both early and late for the Lady Vikings.
She scored 12 of Venango Catholic’s 20 first-quarter points and 20 in the first half to help the Lady Vikings to a 35-25 halftime lead.
She then scored eight points in the fourth quarter including three in the final 26 seconds after Union had closed to within two, 54-52, with a half-minute to play.
Molly Mietus added 13 points, five rebounds, and five blocked shots in the victory, while Homan also had seven rebounds and six steals.
Dominika Logue led Union with 21 points with Hailey Kriebel adding 14 and Kennedy Vogle 11.
PORT ALLEGANY 53, CAMERON COUNTY 44
EMPORIUM, Pa. – Another big game from Bree Garzel lifted visiting Port Allegany to a 53-44 win over Cameron County.
Garzel scored a game-high 27 points to go with 12 rebounds, four assists, and two steals to lead the Lady Terrors who also got nine points on three first-half 3-pointers from Gracie Archer, eight points, five rebounds, and two blocked shots from Jade Evens, and five points and six assists from Evin Stauffer.
Hailey Hilfiger led Cameron County with 16 points and 11 rebounds with Mallory McKimm adding 12 points and Kaelee Bresslin 11.
A-C VALLEY 50, FOREST AREA 33
MARIENVILLE, Pa. – Andrea Meals tickled the twine for a game-high 18 points to pace a 50-33 road win for A-C Valley over Forest Area at East Forest.
Rachel Cullen also had a strong game for the Lady Falcons with 15 points with Baylee Blauser adding 10.
Jessica Wagner led Forest Area with 17 points with Megan Clow adding eight.
REDBANK VALLEY 64, CRANBERRY 30
SENECA, Pa. – Alivia Huffman led a trio of Redbank Valley players in double figures with 14 points, as the visiting Lady Bulldogs beat Cranberry, 64-30.
Caylen Rearick added 13 points in the victory with Madison Forniger also scoring 10.
In addition, Redbank Valley got nine points from Emma Huffman.
Ava Ferringer had 21 points and 10 rebounds for Cranberry.
DUBOIS 71, DUBOIS CENTRAL CATHOLIC 30
DUBOIS, Pa. – Abby Guiher and Olivia Johnson teamed up to score 32 points, as DuBois beat crosstown and visiting DuBois Central Catholic, 71-30.
Guiher scored a game-high 17 points for the Lady Beavers, who were playing for the first time since Jan. 21, while Johnson added 15 points.
Alexas Pfeufer and Saige Weible each chipped in eight tallies in the victory.
Kayler Riser scored a team-high 13 points for DCC.
Brockway, Brookville, Clarion, DuBois, and DCC recaps are powered by Computer Support in Clarion.
