NEW BETHLEHEM, Pa. – A huge first half from Beau Verdill followed by a big second half from Cal German powered Clarion past Redbank Valley, 80-62.
(Photo by: Dustin Kifer)
Clarion raced out to a 27-13 lead after the first quarter and expanded their lead to 20 at the half. The Bulldogs surged to within 12 early in the third quarter, but the Bobcats fended off the comeback and finished the game strong to secure the win.
Clarion was led offensively by German and Verdill. German led Clarion with 29 points, and Verdill scored 27 points. Christian Simko also added 13 points for the Bobcats. Clarion had a big night from the charity stripe, knocking down 15 of 18 free throws. Marquese Gardlock was the Bulldogs’ top scorer with 20 points. Bryson Bain added 15 points for Redbank Valley in the loss.
The Bobcats roared out to a 7-0 lead, with German and Verdill scoring the game’s opening points. After the early Clarion run, the Bulldogs got their offense going, cutting the Clarion lead down to 10-8 courtesy of a pair of threes from Magagnotti and Marshall. Clarion re-asserted their dominance during the remainder of the quarter, going on a 13-3 run to finish the period. Verdill capped off the stretch with a dunk followed by a step-back three to beat the buzzer, putting Clarion up 27-13 after the opening period of play.
The second period started with fast-paced offense from both teams, with Redbank using a nice inside touch to jumpstart their offense and keep pace with the Bobcats. Unfortunately for the Bulldogs, Clarion kicked things into high gear during the back half of the quarter, with German scoring eight consecutive points in a 10-3 run to conclude the half. The burst of scoring expanded the Bobcats’ lead to 44-24 after two quarters.
Redbank Valley came raging back to begin the second half, scoring the first eight points of the half to cut the Clarion lead down to 12. The Bulldogs also found success running a high 3-2 zone defense, intercepting passes while preventing Clarion from getting inside. After a Bobcats’ timeout, a German three broke the Bulldogs’ run and swung the momentum back in favor of Clarion. The Bobcats ended the quarter strong and led 58-40 going into the final period of play.
The Bobcats kept up their scoring pace in the final period, matching the Bulldogs offensively to hold onto their 18 point lead. Both teams played well to close out the contest, but Redbank Valley could not make a dent in Clarion’s lead. A bucket from Bain closed out the contest as the Bobcats coasted to an 80-62 win.
With the win, the Bobcats improve their record to 11-4. Redbank Valley drops to 9-5.
