North Clarion Girls Rally Past A-C Valley

FOXBURG, Pa. – A fantastic fourth-quarter performance from North Clarion led the Wolves to a come-from-behind 49-43 win over A-C Valley. After the Falcons rushed out to a 12-4 start and maintained a narrow lead through most of the first three quarters, a 15-5 fourth-quarter run pushed the Wolves to victory.

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North Clarion’s Emma McFarland led all scorers with 19 points, 11 of which came in the fourth quarter. Gwen Siegel also scored 16 points for the Wolves. Mia Sherman was A-C Valley’s top scorer with 17 points.

A-C Valley took control of the game early, using a soft man defense to clog up the key. The approach worked well, as the Falcons only gave up four first-quarter points. Baylee Bowser ran the A-C Valley offense well, scoring six opening quarter points. Andrea Meals hit a last-second shot to close the quarter to give the Falcons a 12-4 lead going into the second period.

The Wolves stormed back to start the second, going on a 9-0 run to take a 13-12 lead. North Clarion’s run came from the ability to finally score points down low, while also finding some long-range buckets. After struggling to open the quarter, the Falcons rediscovered their rhythm, using their sharp shooting to go back and forth with the Wolves during the remainder of the period. Two fast-break buckets late in the quarter gave the Falcons a 23-20 first-half lead.

The First of Two Fast-break Buckets from A-C Valley

A-C Valley’s Sherman heated up in the third quarter, scoring a pair of threes to help preserve the Falcon’s tight lead. After yet another Sherman three opened up the lead, the Wolves scored two buckets to tighten things back up as the half came to a close, with A-C Valley holding a 38-34 lead after three quarters.

North Clarion’s offense came to life in the fourth quarter, with the Wolves hitting three quick threes to seize a 43-38 lead. The Wolves’ lead continued to grow courtesy of McFarland, who scored 11 of North Clarion’s 13 points to open the final period. The huge run put the Wolves up 48-40 with a minute and a half left in the game. North Clarion used their strong defense to seal the deal, allowing five total fourth-quarter points to secure a 49-43 win.

An Interview with Emma McFarland

The win improves North Clarion to 5-3 overall and 3-0 in the KSAC North. A-C Valley falls to 4-6 overall, and 4-1 in the KSAC North. Both teams will play next on Friday, as North Clarion travels to face Venango Catholic, and A-C Valley travels to battle with Union.