CLUTCH FROM THE STRIPE: Free Throws the Difference as Clarion-Limestone Edges Cranberry; Lion Boys Also Down Berries

STRATTANVILLE, Pa. (EYT/D9)— Hannah Beggs went 6-for-6 from the free throw line over the final 1:20, helping Clarion-Limestone gut out a 46-40 victory over Cranberry for their annual Pink Night contest on Monday evening.

(Pictured above, Hannah Beggs)

Beggs finished with 16 points to lead the Lions. She also collected four steals and four rebounds. Raegan Love added nine points while Sam Simpson hit a pair of 3-pointers for her six points total. Simpson also grabbed seven rebounds.

C-L lost the services of Jenna Dunn, who left the game with 3:48 remaining in the first quarter to an injury.

“Jenna is one of our leaders and it’s certainly tough losing her caliber of player and her leadership on the floor,” said C-L head coach Gus Simpson. “But, to these other girls credit they rallied around her and they all stepped up and contributed to this win. We may be young and make young mistakes, but tonight we made a lot of veteran decisions late in that game to help us pull out a win.”

Clarion-Limestone Area High School sports coverage on Explore and D9Sports.com is brought to you by Redbank Chevrolet and DuBrook.

Raegan Antrilli and Avery Coe combined for 38 of the 40 total points for Cranberry. Coe scored 21 while Antrilli added 17. Emma Morrow scored the only other two points for the Berries.

Cranberry led 5-0 early before a 6-0 C-L run gave the Lions a 6-5 lead at the 4:53 mark. A 9-0 run by Cranberry helped the Berries regain a 14-6 lead before a three by Beggs set the score at 14-9 Cranberry after one.

C-L would hold a 12-7 scoring advantage in the second quarter to tie the score 21-all by halftime.

A 12-9 edge in the third quarter would give the Lions a 33-30 lead by the end of three quarters.

A Coe basket early in the third cut the lead to 33-32. An old fashioned three by Love and a true three-pointer by Sam Simpson pushed the lead to 39-32. Coe would score all seven points of a 7-1 run to pull Cranberry within one at 40-39 with just under two minutes to play.

Beggs would then hit her six straight free throws from the 1:20 mark down to the 20 second point to push the lead to 46-39. Coe would add 1-of-2 free throws with 14 seconds left to set the final score.

“Making six straight free throws was huge for Hannah and the rest of our team,” said Gus Simpson. “We struggled at the line overall, but for her to hit those shots, I’m just so proud of hm just so proud of the entire team the way they stuck with things after Jenna went down because they could have very easily hung their heads.”

BOYS

Coming off an emotional win over Otto-Eldred on Saturday, coach Pat Craig had to wonder if his team had anything left against Cranberry on a quick turnaround Monday evening game.

For one half, the Berries gave C-L all it could handle in battling the Lions to a 46-all halftime score.

However, the Lions’ defensive pressure in the second half helped C-L pull away by only allowing 18 total points, nine in each of the third and fourth quarters in coming away with an 89-64 victory as C-L celebrated Pink Night.

C-L (9-7 overall) placed five players in double figures with Jack Craig scoring 19, Paul Craig 16, Jack Callen and Jase Ferguson 14 each, and Jesse Siwiecki adding 12.

Jack Craig pulled down seven rebounds while Ferguson added five rebounds, nine assists, and five steals. Ty Rankin pulled down a team-high nine rebounds while adding six points.

Connor Morrow scored 18 points for Cranberry while Cole Findlay added 15 and Ethan Merryman 13.

Cranberry led by as many as nine points at 15-6 halfway through the quarter. C-L would close the quarter on a 19-8 run to take a 25-23 lead after one.

C-L would hold the largest lead of the second quarter of six points at 38-32 after a Siwiecki three-pointer. Cranberry would hold a 14-8 edge the rest of the quarter to tie the contest at 46-all by halftime.

An 8-5 edge by C-L over the first three minutes of the third quarter would give the Lions a 56-51 lead.

C-L would then begain to pull away with an 11-0 run to build a 67-51 lead. The Lions would lead 70-55 after three quarters.

C-L closed out the contest with a 19-9 fourth quarter scoring advantage to set the final score.

Clarion-Limestone Area High School sports coverage on Explore and D9Sports.com is brought to you by Redbank Chevrolet and DuBrook.