FRILLS CORNERS, Pa. – North Clarion’s firm defense propelled them to a 35-18 opening-round Class A Playoff victory over A-C Valley.
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The Wolves led 17-12 going into the second half and put together a dominant second-half display, allowing only six second-half points to take control and secure the win.
Amya Green and Emma McFarland each led North Clarion with nine points. Gwen Siegel scored eight for the Wolves. A-C Valley’s Baylee Blauser led all scorers with 10 points.
The Falcons started the game on the front foot courtesy of Blauser, who singlehandedly scored eight of the game’s first 10 points. Blauser found her scoring touch by hitting open jumpers off screens, with A-C Valley’s offensive game plan working to perfection. The Wolves came back late in the period, as a three-point play by Green and a buzzer-beating three from Shaftic powered the Wolves into the lead. The late run put North Clarion up 10-8 after the first quarter.
North Clarion continued their momentum in the second quarter, using crisp passing to score easy buckets inside. Both teams put together solid defense in the period, doing a fantastic job of guarding the perimeter and forcing steals. A big three from Emma McFarland with just over a minute left put the Wolves up by five. Neither team could muster a bucket during the final minute of play, and the Wolves took a 17-12 lead into the second half.
The third quarter started very slowly, with the first points coming three minutes into the quarter via a three from North Clarion’s Green. Green struck again a minute later with an acrobatic layup to give North Clarion a ten-point lead, their biggest of the contest. An A-C Valley three cut the lead to seven, but a free throw by Green gave the Wolves a 23-15 lead going into the final quarter.
Green Goes to Work in the Third Quarter
Both teams exchanged buckets to begin the fourth quarter, with excessive aggressiveness and fouls beginning to slow down the pace of play. After Gwen Siegel snuck her way inside to hit a layup, Shaftic took a charge during her efforts to press the inbounds play. The play secured a vital fifth foul on Rachel Cullen and a technical foul on A-C Valley coach Dave Sherman, giving the Wolves the momentum shift they needed to close out the contest. North Clarion ended the period on a 9-1 run, pulling away from the Falcons and taking home a decisive 35-18 win.
North Clarion Runs Out the Clock
With the win, North Clarion advances to face top-seeded Coudersport in the Class A quarterfinals.
A Postgame Interview with Amya Green
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