CLARION, Pa. --- Clarion men's basketball completed a weekend sweep, grinding out an 87-81 victory over Bloomsburg. The Golden Eagles played an efficient offensive game, shooting 50.9% from the field, 44.0% from behind the arc, and 85.7% from the free-throw line.
Trey Nelson commanded the offense, flirting with a triple-double as he scored 18 points, dished out seven assists, and grabbed six rebounds. Cam Kearney paced the team in scoring with 22 points and eight rebounds. Justice Easter made timely plays for Clarion all night, and finished with 21 points, including a perfect 7-of-7 from the free-throw line, with four crucial makes down the stretch.
Clarion opened the game with a scorching 60.7% shooting performance in the first half, including 8-of-14 from three-point range. The Golden Eagles and the Huskies traded leads for most of the game, seeing the lead trade hands six times.
The momentum swung in Clarion's favor when Easter made a steal and followed up with a thunderous dunk in transition, giving the Golden Eagles a six-point lead. After the Huskies fought back to take a one-point advantage, Gavin Cote's sharp shooting from deep proved pivotal. He knocked down two long-range shots to give Clarion a 36-32 lead.
Clarion saw their wings close the half strong, as Easter closed the half with five points, and a Kearney elbow jumper in the final 3:55 gave the Golden Eagles a 47-40 lead at the break.
With 16:21 remaining in the second half, Bloomsburg broke a 51-51 tie after a Jagger Dressler three-pointer. From that point, the Golden Eagles came alive. They responded with a 12-0 scoring run, fueled by a pair of Trey Nelson three-pointers and capped by a tough and-one finish from Justice Easter, giving Clarion a 10-point lead with just under 13 minutes to go.
Basketball is a game of runs, and the Huskies answered with their own 17-4 run to regain the lead, holding a seven-point advantage with 5:07 remaining after a pair of Louie Wild free throws. Nelson stopped the bleeding with a three from the wing, and Josiah Dow added a mid-range jumper to tie the game at 77.
Nelson broke the tie to give the Golden Eagles the lead with a nifty dribble move in the corner, freeing himself for an easy floating layup with 2:12 left on the clock. From there, it was a free-throw competition, with Clarion sinking their final eight attempts from the line to seal the victory. Nelson made the two biggest free throws of the night with 10 seconds left, clinching the win for Clarion.
