STRATTANVILLE, Pa. – Clarion outscored Clarion-Limestone 9-0 in the second overtime to pick up a 65-56 win over its rival Friday night at C-L.
Rewatch the game
After Christian Simko gave the Bobcats the lead for good, 58-56, with two free throws halfway through the second extra session, Devon Lauer hit a dagger three from the left elbow with 1:26 to go to make it a five-point game.
Two more Simko free throws and a fast-break basket by Dawson Smail put the capper on the win.
C-L’s Rylie Klingensmith takes a shot during the second half Friday. Photo by Diane Lutz
Both teams had a chance in the final 10 seconds of the first overtime to win the game.
After C-L, which was playing without point guard Jordan Hesdon (sprained ankle) had scored the first four points of the first overtime, Clarion responded with the next four including tying the game on two Simko free throws with 1:29 to play. Simko had grabbed an offensive rebound off a Smail miss.
With the game tied, Clarion sat back in a 2-3 zone and let C-L wind the clock down under 10 seconds. That’s when the Lions took a timeout with 9.4 seconds to play.
Out of a second timeout, this one by Clarion, Tommy Smith threw a nice pass to Ryan Hummell cutting towards the basket.
Hummell looked open for a moment, but three Clarion defenders swarmed to him forcing Hummell to pivot away from the basket.
His intended pass ended up as a backcourt violation with 2.7 seconds to play.
Out of another timeout, Clarion got the ball to Gabe Simko. But his shot was short. His older brother, Christian, grabbed the rebound and attempted a putback, but it too wouldn’t go sending the game to a second overtime.
C-L, which trailed 50-44 midway through the fourth quarter, led 52-51 when Bryson Huwar scored off a Hummell pass with 1:47 to go in regulation.
The Lions still led by that score when Jase Ferguson was fouled with 16.4 seconds left.
Ferguson, though, missed the front end of a one-and-one, and Christian Simko wrestled the rebound lose and went coast-to-coast where he was fouled by Huwar with 10.5 seconds to play.
Simko hit the first shot to tie the game at 52 but missed the second.
On the rebound, Smail appeared to get the offensive rebound but Hummell was ruled to have tied the ball up with 6.9 to play.
That gave the Lions two chances to win the game in regulation.
First, Smith missed a 3-pointer. Hummell, though, grabbed the rebound but was wide with his putback.
Clarion led 50-44 after Laurer hit one of two free throws with 3:41 to play, but C-L went on an 8-1 run that started with a Ferguson layup at the 3:34 mark and ended with Huwar’s basket with 1:47 to go to take the lead, 52-51.
Christian Simko led all players with 25 points and was named the Allegheny Grille of Foxburg Player of the Game.
He talked about the victory
Lauer added 13 points for the Bobcats while hitting four 3-pointers, Gave Simko chipped in 11 points and Aidan Quinn had eight.
Klingensmith paced C-L with 16 points while hitting a pair of 3-pointers. Huwar added 12 points, Smith 11, and Ferguson 10.
CLARION 65, CLARION-LIMESTONE 56, 2 OVERTIMES
Score by Quarters
Clarion 12 12 15 13 4 9 – 65
C-L 14 4 16 18 4 0 – 56
CLARION – 65
Devon Lauer 4 1-2 13, Ryan Alston 0 0-0 0, Christian Simkoi 8 9-10 25, Gabe Simko 4 3-4 11, Aidan Quinn 3 2-3 8, Dawson Smail 3 0-0 6, Bryce Brinkley 0 0-0 0, Derek Smail 1 0-0 2. Totals 23 15-19 65.
CLARION-LIMESTONE – 56
Jase Ferguson 4 0-1 10, Mate Megnin 0 0-0 0, Ryan Hummell 3 0-0 7, Alex Painter 0 0-0 0, Rylie Klingensmith 5 4-5 16, Bryson Huwar 5 2-4 12, Tommy Smith 5 0-0 11, Jack Callen 0 0-0 0, Logan Lutz 0 0-0 0. Totals 22 6-10 56.
Three-pointers: Clarion 4 (Lauer 4). Clarion-Limestone 6 (Ferguson 2, Klingensmith 2, Hummell, Smith)
