Clarion Athletics

CLARION, Pa. --- The Golden Eagle men's basketball team opened their 2023-24 season with a back-and-forth battle on their home court, but Clarion came up just a possession short in falling 80-77 to Bluefield State at Tippin Gymnasium on Friday.
 
It was a contest of wild momentum swings and lead changes, with the advantage changing hands 16 times and the score coming up tied another 13 times. It appeared the Golden Eagles had taken hold of the momentum for good late in the second half when they went on an 11-4 run, going up 72-65 after a pair of free throws from Steve Kelly. The Big Blue fired back with eight straight points, taking a 73-72 lead with 3:29 left to play on a layup from Jordan Hinds.
 
Clarion briefly re-took the lead not long after, with Jayson Harris scoring in the paint to make it 74-73. Bluefield State went back on top and eventually took a four-point lead with 33 seconds remaining, but Justice Easter cut that down to one point with a clutch three-pointer from the left wing, making it 78-77. The Golden Eagles were forced to foul with 10 seconds left, putting Hinds on the free throw line for a pair of makes but giving themselves the last shot and a chance to tie. Kelly fired off a shot at the buzzer but it was just off the mark, giving the Big Blue the win.
 
The first half saw the teams trade body blows, with first-year Golden Eagle Jeremy Thomas II putting the team ahead 11-9 with a make at the 15:36 mark of the half. Cam Kearney upped Clarion's lead to 14-11 with a three-pointer just a minute later, and freshman Connor Spratt knocked down a trey at the 10:33 mark of the half to put the Golden Eagles up 17-11. The Big Blue responded with an 11-0 run to take a 22-17 lead of their own, capped by a fast break dunk from Nduka Ogwu. Bluefield State eventually built a four-point lead late in the half, but Kelly hit a late three-pointer to cut the deficit to 38-37 at the halftime break.
 
Thomas played a key role in a 6-0 run to start the second half, scoring two buckets in the opening minutes of the period to give the Golden Eagles a 43-38 lead. That was Clarion's largest advantage of the night until Spratt put them ahead 70-63 with a transition jumper at 6:23.
 
Harris went off for 24 points on 8-of-12 shooting but the night's revelation was Thomas. The freshman scored 14 points on 7-of-11 shooting and was rugged in the paint, grabbing 18 total rebounds – including five offensive boards – and blocking three shots. Kearney added 14 points while Kelley posted 11 points and five assists. Justice Easter had eight points and six caroms.  
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