BELLEFONTE, Pa. – Scoring a team-best 20 points, Cade Walker became the 10th player in Clearfield boys’ basketball history to score 1,000 career points doing so in a 59-57 road win over Bellefonte in Mountain League action Saturday night.
(Walker with the Clearfield coaching staff after scoring his 1,000th career point Saturday. Walker had 20 points, including 10 in the fourth quarter, to help the Bison beat Bellefonte. Submitted photo)
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“It is just really special,” Walker said. “It shows what hard work can do for you. I couldn’t have done this without my teammates and coaches. I couldn’t do it without everyone helping me get here.”
Walker scored 10 of his points during a crucial and wild fourth quarter that saw the Bison (12-8 overall, 8-6 Mountain League) hold on for the two-point win after taking a 32-26 lead into the final eight minutes.
“It made it a little more special being that I did it in a close game when it mattered a little more,” Walker said.
Walker’s milestone came with about two minutes to play in the contest.
“I’m extremely proud of him,” Clearfield head coach Nate Glunt, who has coached three 1,000-point scorers in his time with the Bison, said. “He is a kid I can count on one hand the number of offseason workouts he has missed. He is a high-character kid who gets good grades and his a great person. He is what Clearfield basketball is all about.”
While the Bison won by just the two points, the ending wasn’t quite that dramatic, as Bellefonte (7-13, 3-10) hit a 3-pointer in the closing seconds to make the score a little closer than it looked.
“It was a huge win,” Glunt said. “With the adversity we had with not having school Friday and then having to go on the road and play on a Saturday, I’m extremely proud of the guys for getting this road win. Every win in the Mountain League is tough, and Bellefonte is a good team. They have a kid who is going to be a college basketball player and two guys over 6-foot-5, and their coach does a good job with them. This win solidifies a winning season for us, and I couldn’t be more proud of the kids.”
Walker with his Clearfield teammates. Submitted photo
The game didn’t have the making of a 58-point fourth quarter considering Clearfield led 24-14 at halftime, but Ben McCartney got hot for Bellefonte in the fourth quarter hitting four 3-pointers and scoring 16 of his game-high 21 points in the quarter, while Walker and Karson Rumsky played right along with Rumsky scoring nine of his 16 points in the quarter including going 6 of 6 from the free-throw line.
Rumsky and Walker each added six rebounds in the win with Andrew Lopez dishing out six assists to go with four points. Luke Winters added seven points and Harrison Peacock six for Clearfield.
Shaun Carey added 16 points for Bellefonte.
Walker, who needed 19 points coming into the game to reach 1,000 points, joins the following Bison players in the 1,000-point club: Will Myers (Class of 2017; 1,436 points), Chris Moore (Class of 1991; 1,382), Matt Barnes (Class of 1996; 1,228), Mike McCorkle (Class of 1997; 1,199), Chris Barnes (Class of 1987; 1,166), Dick Troxell (Class of 1970; 1,164), Tommy Hazel (Class of 2017; 1,147), Mark Crossan (Class of 1981; 1,055) and Fred Riley (Class of 1968; 1,037).
“I never really thought about (reaching 1,000 points) until about halfway through last year,” Walker said. “At that point, I started realizing that I had a shot, but it really wasn’t a goal I set. It was just something that came about. It is a really good accomplishment.”
Walker with his family. Submitted photo
Glunt said what impressed him the most with Walker’s journey to 1,000 points was that it never became all-consuming to the senior.
“As we got close to 1,000 points, his main focus was on winning the game,” Glunt said. “His focus is on winning, and tonight we needed every single point he scored. It is tough to maintain focus sometimes because people ask about it and talk about it. But he was able to make the big plays down the stretch tonight. Those 10 points he scored in the fourth quarter, we needed those to help us win the game.”
Clearfield closes the regular season at Punxsutawney Monday before heading into the District 9 Class 4A playoffs looking for a fifth straight D9 title.
CLEARFIELD 59, BELLEFONTE 57
Score by Quarters
Clearfield
Bellefonte 4 10 12 31 – 57
CLEARFIELD – 59
Cade Walker 8 4-5 20, Karson Rumsky 4 6-6 16, Andrew Lopez 1 0-2 4, Matt Pallo 1 1-2 3, Luke Winters 2 2-2 7, Harrison Peacock 1 4-4 6, Cole Miller 1 0-0 3. Totals 18 17-21 59.
BELLEFONTE – 57
Mason Grey 1 0-0 3, Trae Bauman 1 2-2 4, Ben McCartney 8 1-1 21, Logan Bernier 1 0-0 2, Isaiah Nadolsky 4 0-0 8, Shaun Carey 8 0-0 16, Blair Eckley-Jones 0 1-2 1. Totals 23 4-5 57.
Three-pointers: Clearfield 5 (Rumsky 2, Lopez, Winters, Miller). Bellefonte 5 (McCartney 4, Grey)
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