JOHNSTOWN, Pa. --- The Golden Eagles opened the fourth quarter on a 12-4 run to turn a modest lead into a double-digit advantage, as Clarion went on the road to beat Pitt-Johnstown 63-51 on Wednesday night to cap a three-game road swing. Clarion improves to 13-10 overall and 7-8 in PSAC West play.
Taking on a feisty Mountain Cats squad on the road, Clarion worked through some slow offense early on to take a two-possession lead at the halftime break. The Golden Eagle defense was outstanding in the first half, limiting UPJ to 1-of-15 shooting in the first quarter and 8-of-36 (22.2 percent) for the first half.
The difference in the game came in the fourth quarter, with Clarion leading 42-34. The Mountain Cats had drawn close in the third, pulling to within 35-33 on M'laya Ainsworth's jumper at the 2:14 mark of the period. Malayziah Etheredge sparked their decisive run just before the start of the third quarter, making a pair of free throws and a three-pointer as time wound down. The Golden Eagles' energy continued into the final frame as they opened the fourth quarter on a 12-4 run, including a layup by Zoe Guice and a driving bucket by Arianna Seitz to make it 47-37. Guice and Autumn Taylor scored on back-to-back possessions to finish off the run, giving Clarion a 52-37 lead.
Etheredge gave the Golden Eagles a game-high 16 points off the bench, making 5-of-11 shots from the field and 5-of-7 from the free throw line. Guice and Seitz added 11 points while Taylor scored 10 points. Madison Palek was tough on the boards, pulling down a game- and career-high 14 rebounds to go with her six points.
Clarion started the game on an 11-4 run, including a trey from Siara Conley, but the offense for both sides bogged down over the final five minutes of the period. The teams combined for a total of two points – one free throw each – in the last 5:36 of the first quarter, with Lydia Miller snapping a nearly six-minute-long drought for the Mountain Cats just before the end of the period. UPJ went without a field goal from the 7:52 mark of the first quarter until the 8:29 mark of the second, when Lexi Margolis scored to cut the deficit to 11-7.
That kicked off a modest 6-0 run for the Golden Eagles, who took a 17-7 lead on a make from Seitz, and DayLynn Thornton made it 23-15 with 1:27 to go with a fast break drive. The Mountain Cats got that down to four points just before half, with a bucket from Gianna Gallucci that made it 23-19.
