SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.Va. – A couple of second-half rallies pulled the Golden Eagle men's basketball team into striking distance against Shepherd, but Clarion could not finish off the comeback as the Rams won 81-68 at the Butcher Center on Saturday.
 
The Rams held a double-digit lead at the halftime break, but Clarion embarked on an 8-0 run to pull within a single possession before Shepherd managed to stem the tide. A similar situation occurred late in the second half as well, when the Golden Eagles cut the Rams' lead to just six points with 7:06 remaining in regulation. Shepherd again pulled away, this time making the lead hold up for the remainder of the game.
 
One of the chief drivers of Clarion's comeback attempt was Gerald Jarmon, who scored 16 of his game-high 22 points in the second half. The sophomore guard went 5-for-12 from the field in the second half, including a 3-of-8 mark from three-point range. Included in that was a four-point play he converted near the midway point of the half, draining a trey through a foul by Jon Preston to cut the Rams' lead to 62-56.
 
Connor Ferrell finished with 17 points and six rebounds, while Madior Seye had five points and a team-high eight rebounds.
 
The Golden Eagles came out guns blazing in the first half, opening the game on an 11-4 run that was punctuated with a three-pointer by Jarmon. Ferrell notched a four-point play of his own at the 12:42 mark, making a three-pointer through a foul by Preston to put Clarion ahead 19-9. The Rams responded with a 13-0 run, though, pulling ahead 22-19 after a four-point play by Carson Poffenberger. Ultimately it was a 26-5 run for the Rams, who led 39-27 at the halftime break.
 
It was the Golden Eagles' turn to make hay at the start of the second half. Clarion scored eight straight points to start the half, keeping the Ram's without a field goal for the first 3:29 as they pulled to within 39-37. Shepherd countered with a 15-1 run that put them ahead 54-38, but the Golden Eagles did not go quietly. Clarion put on a tough press defense that stymied the Rams for a long stretch, enabling the Golden Eagles to outscore them 11-0 for a two-minute stretch. Shepherd, though, was able to decipher the defense and eventually stretched their lead back out to double digits, closing things out for the win.