CLARION, Pa. --- The Golden Eagle men's basketball team applied pressure to their opponent early and often on Wednesday night, as Clarion swept the season series with Pitt-Johnstown after a 94-70 in Tippin Gymnasium. What was at times a hard-fought game eventually turned into a rout for the Golden Eagles, who won two games in a season against UPJ for the first time since the 1989-90 season.
 
There were nine lead changes in the first half, particularly early on as the teams matched each other shot for shot. A 10-2 run for the Golden Eagles was the opening Clarion needed, granting them a 42-34 lead at the halftime break, and they never trailed again as the lead ballooned to more than 20 points by the end of the game.
 
At different occasions over the course of the night different Golden Eagles stole the show. On the scoring front, Jeremy Thomas II and Cam Kearney stood above the rest, with the former finishing with 26 points on 12-of-19 shooting, as well as nine rebounds and two steals. Kearney meanwhile was the go-to guy in the second half, scoring most of his 20 points in a stretch early on where he was automatic from 15 feet out.
 
Orchestrating all this was senior point guard Steve Kelly, who finished with a double-double of 10 points and a career-high 10 assists. Traden Gray came off the bench for a big day, scoring 15 points and pulling down six rebounds.
 
The start of the game belied the way things eventually played out, as neither side was able to gain a significant advantage. Andy Zuchelli put UPJ ahead 8-4 with a three-pointer early on, but a 10-3 Clarion run gave the Golden Eagles a three-point lead at the 14:31 mark. Zuchelli struck again past the midway point of the first half, knocking down another trey to make it 25-23, but Jayson Harris kicked off a 9-2 run that put his team up with a midrange jumper, and Connor Spratt punctuated it with a three-pointer from the corner. The Golden Eagle run to end the first half was even more impressive, with Kelly capping the rally with a layup with just seconds left on the clock.
 
Kearney hit a three-pointer to open the scoring in the second half, giving Clarion a 45-34 lead, and the Golden Eagles' advantage never again dipped below six points. Kelly added a three-pointer at the 11:35 mark to make it 63-49, and Thomas took a feed from Harris and laid it in at the 9:20 mark to stretch things out to 69-51.
 
UPJ responded with a big run of their own, cutting the lead to as few as seven points with 6:42 left to play. The Golden Eagles had one more big run up their sleeve, embarking on a 24-6 run to close out the game and leave the Mountain Cats in the rearview mirror.
 
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