STRATTANVILLE, Pa. – Hayden Callen, Jordan Hesdon, and Ryan Hummell combined for 53 of the Clarion-Limestone’s 71 points with 21, 20, and 12, respectively, as the Lions routed North Clarion 71-41 on Tuesday evening in Strattanville.
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Callen recorded a double-double as he also pulled down 10 rebounds while Hesdon and Hummell each grabbed six boards.
Dylan Walters paced North Clarion with 15 points, including three three-pointers, while Collin Schmader added 12 points.
“I guess the home court advantage paid off tonight,” said C-L head coach Joe Ferguson. “They played us real tight the first time over at their place. I would say the big key for us tonight was that we had way fewer turnovers than we’ve been having for much of the season. North Clarion has a nice team, and you can definitely see the improvement from that first game we played them until now.”
C-L scored the first four points of the game before the Wolves battled back to take an 8-6 lead, with Walters scoring all eight points on a pair of threes and a short jumper with 4:37 to play. C-L then responded with a 14-3 quarter-ending run to take a 20-11 lead after one quarter. Hesdon scored seven points in the quarter to lead the Lions.
After an old-fashioned three by Aiden Hartle started the second to trim the lead to six at 20-14, a 9-0 run by the Lions pushed the lead back up to 15 at 29-14 with 5:43 to play in the half. North Clarion would cut the lead to 13 at 34-21, following another three by Walters, but that would be as close as they could get. C-L closed the quarter on a 9-2 run to take a 43-23 lead into the halftime locker room.
Callen scored eight points in the second quarter for C-L.
“We played a different game tonight than the first time,” said Ferguson. “That first time we were trying to run set offensive plays because it was early in the season. Tonight we were able to get out and run the floor, and the guys got out in transition and found the open guy.”
After a Walters basket to start the third quarter cut the lead to 18 at 43-25, the Lions really put the game out of reach and also put the mercy rule running clock into effect with a 15-0 run that pushed their lead to 58-25 just before the midway point of the quarter. North Clarion held an 8-6 edge the rest of the quarter, which put the score at 64-33 after three.
With both teams playing mostly underclassmen in the fourth quarter, the Wolves held an 8-7 scoring edge to set the final score.
“I believe this was our last game until the playoffs,” said Ferguson. “It was good to get a win for our seniors playing their last game on our home floor. Hayden Callen has been with me for four years, while Braden Rankin and Hayden Siegel have been here for three. All three of these guys have done their part in carrying on our tradition and preparing our younger group to take over and keep things going. They’ve all displayed great character in their time here, and to me, that’s the most important thing.”
Clarion-Limestone 71, North Clarion 41
Score by Quarters
NC 11 12 10 8-41
CL 20 23 21 7-71
North Clarion- 41
Aiden Hartle 2 1-3 6, Cole Byers 1 0-0 2, Josh Daum 2 0-0 4, Collin Schmader 6 0-1 12, Dylan Walters 6 0-0 15, Isaac Gilara 0 0-0 0, Ethan Carll 0 0-0 0, Logan Swanson 1 0-0 2. Totals: 18 1-4 41.
C-L-71
Hayden Callen 9 0-1 21, Ryan Hummell 6 0-0 12, Jordan Hesdon 8 3-4 20, Hayden Siegel 1 0-0 2, Tommy Smith 3 0-0 6, Braden Rankin 2 0-0 4, Riley Klingensmith 0 0-0 0, Jack Callen 1 0-0 3, Alex Painter 1 0-0 3. Totals: 31 3-5 71.
Three-pointers: N. Clarion 4 (Walters 3, Hartle), C-L 6 (H. Callen 3, Hesdon, J. Callen, Painter).
