CLARION, Pa. --- The Golden Eagle men's basketball team dropped a heartbreaker at home on Wednesday evening, falling 66-65 to Lock Haven at Tippin Gym. The Bald Eagles scored the go-ahead point on a free throw with 14 seconds to play, and were able to hold Clarion off the scoreboard in the final seconds to steal the win.
 
Featuring balanced scoring from throughout the lineup, the Golden Eagles took the lead with 11:09 to play in the first half and held it outright until the Bald Eagles tied the game at 54 with 5:19 left in regulation. Steve Kelly countered that with a three-pointer to give his team the lead again, and Cam Kearney added a trey with 4:03 to play to make it a 60-57 lead.
 
Clarion came out of the next media timeout with a dunk by Jeremy Thomas II to make it a five-point game, but the Bald Eagles responded with a 9-3 run to take the lead late. Bryson Scott tied the game at 65 with a make, and Jalen Gorham gave his team a slim one-point lead by making a free throw with 14 seconds remaining. The Golden Eagles got the ball back but were unable to score, with the Bald Eagles forcing a turnover on the final inbounds play to seal the win.
 
The finish belied what was otherwise a strong effort by the Golden Eagles, who took a three-possession lead at the halftime break. Kearney hit a three-pointer from the lefthand corner to take an 8-5 lead early in the game, and Traden Gray put his team ahead for the remainder of the half with a three-pointer that made it 14-11. Kearney followed with a three-pointer on the next offensive possession to make it 17-11, and Kelley upped the lead with a drive and a make with 3:59 to go to make it 28-20. Gavin Cote made a three-pointer in transition to make it 31-24, and Kearney added a late jumper to up the advantage to 33-25 at the halftime break.
 
The advantage cracked double-digits early in the second half, after Jayson Harris stole the ball from Mike Knouse and passed ahead to Justice Easter, who then advanced the ball to Kearney to make it 35-25. The Bald Eagles were able to pull the deficit back into the single-digits and keep it there, putting them into striking distance to earn the win.
 
Kelly had a team-high 15 points, with 13 of those points coming in the second half, and he also notched seven assists and two rebounds. Thomas had a double-double of 10 points and 13 rebounds, and also notched four steals and three blocked shots. Cote came off the bench for 11 points while Kearney had 13 total.