CLARION, Pa. (EYT/D9) — Down by seven. Zero points scored through the first seven-plus minutes. A usually potent offense decidedly out of synch.
Cause for panic? Not for the Redbank Valley girls basketball team.
(Above photo by Dave Cyphert/ProPoint Media Photography)
After a very slow start, the Bulldogs found their usual rhythm and showed off again how explosive they can be with a 13-2 run to quickly seize the lead for good in a 49-40 win over North Clarion Saturday night in the Keystone Shortway Athletic conference championship game at Clarion University.
“We were in a little bit of a funk,” said junior Alivia Huffman. “It’s happened to us before, but no one ever stresses about it. We know we can easily get back to where we need to be.
“Seven points,” Huffman added. “It was nothing big.”
Redbank Valley, Keystone, and Union/A-C Valley sports coverage on Explore and D9Sports.com is brought to you by Heeter Lumber.
It was the Huffman and Harmon show for Redbank Valley. The duo combined to score 44 of the Bulldogs’ 49 points.
Huffman saved her best for the second half.
She was held to three points in the first two quarters as Redbank Valley entered the locker room with a slim 15-11 lead.
But in the third quarter, Huffman dominated in the post, scoring 11 of her 21 points.
“Alivia was a force inside,” said Redbank Valley coach Chris Edmonds. “You know, everybody thinks she plays outside a lot. But, really, whenever she gets working inside, she’s one of the dominant forces in the league.”
Huffman said she felt unstoppable in the post Saturday against North Clarion.
She showed off her post moves and her sheer strength against the Wolves’ formidable bigs.
“It’s a great feeling,” Huffman said, “Mylee, she does a lot of our ballhandling now and scores a lot of points. It’s nice to be able to get back to where I’ve been — I haven’t really been (in the post) a lot.”
Harmon, the KSAC Tournament MVP, scored a team-high 23 points after pouring in 24 in the semifinal win over Union Thursday night.
Harmon, just a freshman, has been a difference-maker for the Bulldogs, especially in the second half of the season.
(Mylee Harmon was named the Hager Paving Incorporated Player of the Game. She was also the tournament MVP)
“I had a lot of enthusiasm carry over from Thursday,” Harmon said. “It meant a lot to come out and win, especially for the seniors. They lost two years ago to (North Clarion). So, it was a really good feeling.”
North Clarion, who beat Redbank for the title in 2020, had the type of game coach Terry Dreihaup wanted in the first quarter and for most of the first half.
Even down by four at the break, Dreihaup felt good about the position his team was in — even with the offense struggling in the second quarter.
That good feeling was quickly quashed in the third.
Redbank Valley opened the frame with six quick points and the lead swelled to 10.
With that kind of lead this season, the Bulldogs have been nearly impossible to stop.
“I was real happy with the first quarter,” Dreihaup said. “Then they had a great second quarter — we scored just two points. We had the ball coming out at halftime and our goal was to score, get a stop, and score again.”
Best-laid plans.
“Instead, they scored (three times),” Dreihaup lamented. “So, then you’re down by (10) and it’s just a battle coming back.”
Redbank led by as many as 17 at 40-23 a minute into the fourth quarter, but the Wolves had one more run in them.
North Clarion cut the Bulldogs’ lead to 43-37 with 2:25 remaining in the game thanks to a 14-3 spurt.
Still, there was no panic on the Redbank Valley bench.
“They crept back, but we’ve always been able to find a way,” Harmon said. “We just put our trust in our teammates and come together as a group and regroup and just get our heads back into the game.”
Harmon has been something of a closer for Redbank Valley this season with her ability to milk clock with her dribbling ability.
She forces most teams to come out of their zone. The Wolves decided to take a different tack.
“They have a lot of weapons on that team,” Dreihaup said. “If we went to man-to-man, they would probably do a little isolation on a couple of their girls. You saw what happened when they got it inside in the zone. That’s what would ave happened in a man. We took a gamble and it just didn’t pay off.”
Redbank’s defense also did a good job in the paint.
North Clarion’s Gwen Siegel was held to 10 points and seven rebounds.
Emma McFarland led the Wolves with 15 points on five 3-pointers.
Redbank Valley was able to salt the game away at the foul line.
Harmon was 8 of 10 from the stripe in the game. She Huffman combined to go 9 of 13 from the free throw line in the fourth quarter.
And now Redbank Valley is KSAC champion.
“That was one of our goals when we started this summer — make it back to the KSAC championship,” Edmonds said.
Redbank Valley, Keystone, and Union/A-C Valley sports coverage on Explore and D9Sports.com is brought to you by Heeter Lumber.
Fall Sports
Rocky Grove and Lakeview Team Up for Mason
