CLARION, Pa. (EYT/D9) — Redbank Valley’s plan was simple.
Don’t let Clarion breathe.
The Bulldogs set out to jump on the Bobcats early Friday night at Tippin Gymnasium in the Keystone Shortway Athletic Conference semifinals.
Mission accomplished.
Redbank Valley, Keystone, and Union/A-C Valley sports coverage on Explore and D9Sports.com is brought to you by Heeter Lumber.
Redbank Valley built an early 22-9 lead and cruised after that to a 57-41 win over Clarion to earn a berth in the KSAC title game.
“Our first mindset coming into the game was push the ball as fast as we can in the first four minutes and then not let down,” said senior guard Marquese Gardlock, who finished with a game-high 16 points.
“That was the game plan — jump out and jump ahead,” added Redbank Valley coach Emmanuel Marshall. “I kept telling them, ‘The score is zero-zero,’ during timeouts or after every quarter.”
Redbank will be gunning for its first KSAC championship since 1991 when it takes on North Clarion at 8 p.m. Saturday at Clarion University.
Winning it has been a focus all season for the Bulldogs. Last year, Redbank would have played for a KSAC title, but the championship game was a casualty of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We have something to play for now,” Marshall said. “When we found out there wasn’t going to be a KSAC championship (last year), we kind of lost interest. Having something to play for gives you that motivation.”
Gardlock, who recently signed his national letter of intent to play football at California University of Pennsylvania, said winning a KSAC title has been a popular topic of conversation among he and his teammates.
(Redbank Valley’s Marquese Gardlock was named Hager Paving Incorporated Player of the Game.)
“I know me, Bryson (Bain) and Chris (Marshall), ever since I came here, have been talking about the KSAC,” Gardlock said. “It’s a big deal we got in it this year.”
Redbank Valley (20-3) has now won 15 consecutive games since a loss to Slippery Rock on Dec. 29.
A 16th straight win Saturday is all the Bulldogs are thinking about.
“Putting that KSAC championship banner on the wall is what we want to do,” Marshall said. “We haven’t done that since ’91. That’s the most important right now.”
Chris Marshall added 13 points for Redbank Valley.
Owen Clouse, who missed the last two games because of an injury, added nine points and Mason Clouse pitched in eight.
The Clouse twins seem to always wreak havoc on opponents with the combination of clutch shots and pure hustle.
“Crashing the boards, hitting shots — that’s their thing; they are fundamentally sound,” Coach Marshall said. “They are an example of how every basketball player should play.”
Dawson Smail led Clarion with 10 points. The Bobcats struggled to mount any consistency on offense.
Clarion (13-10) only got as close as eight after Redbank Valley’s hot start and trailed by as many as 23 midway through the fourth quarter.
“Redbank is a good team and they can capitalize on your mistakes,” said Clarion coach Scott Fox. “They can make you make a lot of mistakes when they’re up and you’re trying to get back into the game.”
Even with the loss, it was an invaluable experience for the Bobcats to hit the big court of Clarion University in a playoff atmosphere — a primer for the upcoming District 9 playoffs.
“It’s big for the younger kids, and even the seniors,” Fox said. “Very valuable because hopefully we’ll be able to make it back here at some point.”
Redbank Valley, Keystone, and Union/A-C Valley sports coverage on Explore and D9Sports.com is brought to you by Heeter Lumber.