Clarion, which beat Lock Have 111-38 in January at Tippin Gym, allowed that many points in the first half Wednesday and found itself in a 38-all deadlock at halftime.
But the Golden Eagles (15-8 overall, 5-6 PSAC-West) kept their PSAC Playoff hopes alive with a solid second half that included runs of 12-3, 11-3 and 8-1 to put the Bald Eagles' (1-20, 0-10) upset hopes to rest.
Teer, who tied
Lloyd Harrison for game-high honors with 22 points while adding 14 rebounds, was at his best in the second half scoring 19 of his points and grabbing nine of his rebounds. He scored seven points during a 12-3 Clarion run to open the half then added four more points during an 11-3 run midway through the half that extended a 58-52 lead with 11:51 left to 69-55 with 8:34 to play and finally he had five more points during an 8-1 run with just under five minutes to play after Lock Haven had once again closed to within six.
After the 8-1 run pushed Clarion's lead to 79-66 with just over three minutes to play, the Golden Eagles sealed the victory by going 16 of 18 from the free-throw line in the final 2:29.
Mike Sherry was a perfect 6 of 6 on his way to 13 points, which included a perfect 8 of 8 from the line for the game,
Lloyd Harrison, who added six rebounds and four assists, was 7 of 8 in the stretch run and
Jamar Harrison, who added 21 points and six rebounds, was 3 of 4 in the stretch from the line.
Roderick Haynes led Lock Haven with 21 points including 5 of 10 from 3-point range. David Blackwell chipped in 12 points, Anthony Baker had 11 points, six rebounds and four steals and Joshua Eichenlaub added 10 points. Three-pointers kept Lock Haven competitive, as the Bald Eagles hit 12 in the game going 12 of 36 from behind the arc.
Paul McQueen chipped in with 13 points, four rebounds and three steals for Clarion.
Clarion's win coupled with California's one-point win over Slippery Rock and Edinboro's one-point loss at IUP, leaves the Golden Eagles tied with Cal for fourth place in the PSAC-West a game ahead of Edinboro with three games to play. The top four teams from the PSAC-West make the PSAC playoffs. Clarion hosts California next Wednesday, Feb. 23, at 7:30 p.m. If Clarion wins that game, the Golden Eagles would most likely need to split their other two remaining games – IUP Saturday and Gannon Feb. 26 – to make the postseason. A loss to Cal would in all likelihood end Clarion's playoff hopes.
The Golden Eagles return to action at 7:30 p.m. Saturday when it faces IUP.
NOTES –
Lloyd Harrison has scored 56 points in his last two games while
Jamar Harrison has 53 tallies in his last two ballgames … Teer's double-double was his 13
th of the season giving him the most double-doubles at Clarion since Marvin Wells had 13 in 1998 … The win was the 398
th of head coach
Ron Righter's 25-year career which include 23 years at Clarion.
