Fourth quarter run lifts C-L boys into semifinals

ST. MARYS, Pa. – The Clarion-Limestone boys basketball team needed less than three minutes late in the game to take a four-point game and turn it into a blowout in getting a 72-55 win over Coudersport in the District 9 Class A quarterfinals Friday night at St. Marys High School.

The Lions (21-3) led by just four, 55-51, with about four minutes to play before going on a 17-2 run over the next two-plus minutes to go up 72-53 with 1:15 to go.

The 17 points accounted for more than half of C-L’s 30 fourth-quarter points after Coudersport had held the high-scoring Lions to 42 through three quarters.

The defensive effort by the Falcons helped them stay right with C-L through most of the night with the Lions leading 29-26 at halftime thanks to a 3-pointer at the buzzer by RJ Laugand, who had a game-high 23 points.

The first half of the fourth quarter was the same as most of the game with C-L leading 46-45 two minutes into the fourth quarter and up 51-45 on an old-school 3-pointer by Noah Rankin off a steal a few seconds later.

But a Darren Keglovits 3-pointer got the Falcons to the 55-51 deficit. Six straight free throws by the Lions started the game-deciding run.

Dan Callen added 13 points for C-L, while Josh Kahle had 11 and Kolton Stiglitz had 10.

Keglovits led Coudy (19-5) with 19 points, while Zach Layag added 12 and freshman Jared Green 11.

CLARION-LIMESTONE 72, COUDERSPORT 55

Score by Quarters

Coudersport 9 17 16 13 – 55

Clarion-Limestone 12 17 13 30 – 72

Coudersport – 55

Ricke 2 0-0 5, Furman 0 2-4 2, Layag 4 3-4 12, Croke 0 2-2 2, Chambers 2 0-2 4, Green 3 4-4 11, Keglovits 6 4-4 19. Totals 17 15-30 55.

Clarion-Limestone – 72

Laugand 7 7-7 23, Kahle 2 3-3 7, Rankin 4 3-3 11, Pezzuti 3 0-0 6, Stiglitz 5 0-2 10, Callen 5 3-6 13, Lopez 1 0-0 2, Beers 0 0-0 0, Wrhen 0 0-0 0, Forrest 0 0-0 0, Aites 0 0-0 0. Totals  27 16-21 72.

Three-pointers – Coudersport 6 (Keglovits 3, Green, Layag, Ricke). Clarion-Limestone 2 (Laugand 2).