CLARION, Pa. – It was a night to remember for Tori Obenrader and her North Clarion teammates Friday, as the She-Wolves overcame a slow start and a back-and-forth second half to claim their second consecutive KSAC Title with a 54-49 win over A-C Valley.
(Photos by Jared Bakaysa of JB Graphics. See more of Bakaysa’s work here)
Obenrader was named the game’s MVP after scoring 24 points, grabbing 19 rebounds and coming away with three steals. And she also scored her 2,000th career point becoming just the sixth girls’ player in District 9 history to 2,000 career points and the first since St. Marys’ Kayla Hoohuli, who graduated in 2011.
Obenrader’s milestone shot was also an uber big one for North Clarion (23-0) coming with 3:51 to play on a 3-pointer that gave the She-Wolves a 47-40 lead capping a 5-0 spurt for the senior after A-C Valley had pulled with two, 42-40, after being down 39-30 late in the third quarter.
North Clarion’s Abby Gatesman is guarded by A-C Valley’s Cami McNany during the KSAC Title Game Friday. Photo by Jared Bakaysa.
The Lady Falcons (18-5) didn’t quit answering Obenrader’s three with a 6-0 run of their own to get back within one, 47-46, on an Ellie Thompson basket with 2:08 to play.
But sophomore Abby Gatesman hit her second monster 3-pointer of the fourth quarter – her first took a 39-38 lead to 42-38 – off a pass from Obenrader with 1:26 to go to make it 50-46.
Kylee Eaton answered with an old-school 3-pointer for A-C Valley with just under a minute left, but Obenrader grabbed two offensive rebounds off her own misses and was fouled by Eaton with 37.3 left. She hit both free throws to make it a three-point game, 52-49, and then Gabby Schmader came up with a steal off a Brooke Irwin pass, and Obenrader was again fouled with 17.2 to play. She calmly sunk both to secure the KSAC title, the second ever for North Clarion in girls’ basketball.
Obenrader talked about the win and her milestone.
Gatesman added 12 points and eight assists for North Clarion with Hayle Sherman adding eight points and six rebounds.
Thompson paced A-C Valley, which had an early 10-2 lead, with 19 points and five rebounds. Cami McNany added 12 points, five rebounds and three steals and Eaton had seven points and seven rebounds.
NORTH CLARION 54, A-C VALLEY 49
Score by Quarters
A-C Valley 14 12 8 15 – 49
North Clarion 9 18 12 15 – 54
A-C VALLEY – 49
Ellie Thompson 9-20 1-2 19; Cami McNany 4-11 3-4 12; Kylee Eaton 3-5 1-1 7; Allison Sherman’ 3-6 0-0 6; Annie Viertel 2-7 0-0 5; Brooke Irwin 0-4 0-0 0; Emma Fox 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 21-53 5-7 49.
NORTH CLARION – 54
Tori Obenrader 8-19 7-7 24; Abby Gatesman 5-12 0-2 12; Haley Sherman 2-2 4-7 8; Gabby Schmader 1-5 3-4 6; Cierah Manross 1-3 0-0 2; Mackenzie Bauer 1-4 0-0 2; Gabby Carll 0-3 0-0 0. Totals 18-48 14-20 54.
Three-pointers: A-C Valley 2-12 (Cami McNany 1-4; Annie Viertel 1-6; Ellie
Thompson 0-2), North Clarion 4-13 (Abby Gatesman 2-5; Gabby Schmader 1-3; Tori Obenrader 1-2; Gabby Carll 0-3).
Rebounds: A-C Valley 11 offensive, 16 defensive, 27 total (Kylee Eaton 7, Cami McNany 5, Ellie Thompson 5), North Clarion 18 offensive, 21 defensive, 39 total (Tori Obenrader 19, Haley Sherman 6).
Assists: A-C Valley 6 (Ellie Thompson 2; Cami McNany
2), North Clarion 8 (Abby Gatesman 3).
