Bobcats Down Lions In KSAC Basketball
Photos courtesy of Brinley Kiskadden-BK Media (Above) Dylan Smail led the Cats scoring attack.
The homestanding Clarion Area Bobcats downed the Clarion-Limestone Lions 63-32 in Keystone Shortway Athletic Conference basketball action on Wednesday (January 29th).
The Bobcats used a balanced attack, with nine players seeing the floor. Seven Bobcats contributed points, while every one of those players had at least one rebound and all but one dishing out at least one assist.
The Bobcats held an 18-10 lead after the first period and followed that with a 13-6 advantage in the second, to head to the half with a 31-16 lead.
A 19-13 Clarion edge in the third, sent the game to the final stanza with Clarion leading 50-29. The Bobcats won the fourth quarter 13-3 to set the final. The mercy rule clock was put in effect near the end of the game.
Four Bobcats reached double figures.
Dylan Smail scored 14 points, to go along with 6 assists and four rebounds. Derek Smail followed with 13 points, 6 rebounds and two assists.

Nate Frederick scored 12 points, including two 3-pointers. He also had 4 rebounds and two assists. Mason Burford scored ten points.

Parker Miller and Wyatt Watterson each came in with six points. Miller’s points came on a pair of treys. He also had 6 rebounds and two assists.

Quinn O’Neil had a two-point bucket.
Paul Craig led the Lions with a game high 17 points, including four baskets from long range. Jase Ferguson had 10 points, with two buckets from three point range. He also had 5 rebounds, 4 assists and two steals.
Clarion Area head coach Sam Heeter shared, “Overall, I’m incredibly pleased with how we played tonight. The boys played hard for a full 32 minutes, and I’m very proud of the effort that they displayed tonight.
“We’re at the point in the year where we’re going to be playing good opponents every night, so the focus and effort have to be at a higher level. We prepped pretty significantly for C-L because the cross town rivalry is always a fun game, especially when you come away with a win.
When asked if the mercy rule at the end was a surprise, Coach Heeter said, “Yes, the mercy rule did surprise me just a bit. Historically, the Clarion – C-L games are typically pretty close, but I know what I have in my team, and when we’re playing well, we’re pretty hard to beat.”
I noticed on the YDL broadcast that the Bobcats’ half court offense was reminiscent of the old Eddie McClusky – Farrell Weave, that folks of a certain age, like me, are sure to remember. I asked if this was where the offensive style got its influence.
But coach Heeter shared that the inspiration comes from another source (with Clarion ties). “Our offense is something I spent a lot of time studying over the summer and throughout the fall.
“It’s similar to what John Calipari ran at Kentucky, and that’s where the inspiration came from.”
And it fits this Bobcat team to a T, with their “freestyle” of play and everyone contributing.
“Going into the season, I realized pretty quickly that we have a good group of players that fit well into an offense like that. Our guys have pretty high basketball IQs so I can trust them to play a little more free without having to be super structured in the half court.”
No other way to describe it, just a thing of beauty to watch.
The Cats are scheduled to host Brookville at Pennwest Clarion’s Tippin Gymnasium on Saturday (February 1st) at 8:00 p.m.
(Keep up the strong play, Bobcats!!!! Thanks to Brinley Kiskadden-BK Media for her great photos!! And thank you to Chris Rossetti and YDL Sports Network for permission to use their broadcast feed for notes, etc.)