Boys Basketball: Bobcats Down Fires On Senior Night (02/05/16)

The Clarion Area Boys Basketball Team hosted the Forest Area Fires on 2015-16 Senior Night, Friday, February 5th and came away with a 76 – 42 win.

Senior players, cheerleaders and their parents

Senior members of the Bobcat Basketball and Cheerleading squads and their parents were honored prior to the Varsity game.

The senior basketball members include John Allen, Craig Kerr, Mark Liu, Brendan Miller, Luke Nellis, Jonathan Smith and Tyler Smith (Team Manager). Senior cheerleaders include Riley Fox, Keilani Rupp, Stephanie Slike and Courtney Wiant.

Coach Jess Quinn opened the game with an all-senior lineup consisting of Mark Liu, John Allen, Craig Kerr, Brendan Miller and Luke Nellis and the seniors contributed heavily in the win.

The Cats led 19-16,  after a first quarter that saw Jon Smith score 8 points and Luke Nellis adding six, including a trey. Smith had a slam dunk, in the quarter, on of three on the night. Smith had slam dunks on two consecutive trips down court in the second as the Bobcats outscored the Fires 14-4,  to take a 33-20 lead into the half. Allen and Reed Anthony each sunk  three-pointers, in the second. Anthony had two from long range.

Jon on one of his slams

In all, Clarion made nine treys in the game. Joining Nellis, Anthony and Allen in the three-pointer parade were Smith, who had two, Liu, Kerr, Miller and Ryan Anthony. Four of the three-pointers came in the third quarter, which saw the Cats open a 57-33 lead.

A 19-9 Bobcat advantage in the fourth, set the 76-42 final.

Smith led the Cats with twenty-six points. Reed Anthony had 8, Mark Liu and Luke Nellis each had six. Ryan Anthony, Miller and Kerr had five apiece. Tom Hearst had 4, and Allen and Ty Burford scored two each.

The Bobcats also won the JV game, downing the fires 40-30. The Cats led 6-4 after one, 17-12 at the half and 32-19 at the three quarter mark.

Archer Mills had ten points to lead the Bobcat JVs. Zak Bauer had 9, Drew Whren scored 7. Spencer Miller and Brendan Zerfoss each had 4 points, Jake Selker had 3, Victor Stahlman had two and Hank Baldwin had one.

The Bobcats will host St. Marys on Monday (February 8th).