STRATTANVILLE, Pa. (D9Sports) – At the start of the week, Clarion-Limestone didn’t know the next time it would have one let alone both Callen boys on the basketball court.
(Photo of Hager Paving Player of the Game Ian Callen of Clarion-Limestone)
By Friday, the Callens – senior Dan and sophomore Ian – were the catalysts behind a 67-61 Lions win over visiting North Clarion.
Dan injured his shoulder last Saturday against Brockway and it wasn’t sure how long he would be out. But he suited up Friday after missing just one game and had 17 points and 13 rebounds.
Ian, who was projected to be out with a knee injury until at least Christmas, surprised everyone including himself when he was cleared to play in Wednesday’s win over Forest Area.
Friday against the upstart Wolves (3-1 overall, 1-1 KSAC North) he scored all 12 of his points – he added nine rebounds – in the final 11:16 to help C-L prevail in a game that was even closer than the six-point margin indicates.
From the seven-minute mark of the first quarter until Julian Laugand scored with 2:16 to play in the contest, the points margin between the teams was never more than four points.
During that time there were nine ties and 11 lead changes while North Clarion held nine one-point leads, six two-point leads, five three-point leads and one four-point lead. C-L had 10 one-point leads, seven two-point leads, six three-point leads and a pair of four-point leads.
It wasn’t until Ian Callen’s basket with 5:51 to go off an offensive rebound that C-L took the lead for good, 56-54, and even then it was a precarious lead at best until Christian Smith two free throws with 12.9 seconds to go pushed the lead to eight, 66-58, the first time either team led by more than two possessions.
Ian Callen played a large second-half role in the win.
He scored six straight points in a time of just under a minute midway through the third quarter to turn a 45-42 deficit into a 48-45 lead.
Then he scored six of C-L’s first eight points of the fourth quarter – Dan had the other two -after the Lions had fallen behind 54-52 going to the fourth after a 3-pointer by North Clarion’s Zander Hargenrader, who had 11 points, in the final 25 seconds of the third quarter.
Callen talked about his performance.
But Hargenrader’s basket was the last one for North Clarion until Chase Schmader’s hoop 3:36 into fourth quarter. That allowed C-L to go on a 6-0 run and take the lead for good.
Schmader had a solid game with a team-high 15 points with Nathan Banner adding 13 points and 10 rebounds and Keeven Weaver six points and 13 rebounds after missing Wednesday’s win over Cranberry.
For C-L (3-1, 2-0), freshman Deion Deas continued his hot start with 14 points, including eight in the first quarter, with Christian Smith chipping in 11 points.
C-L led 17-15 at the end of the first quarter after Laugand hit a 30-foot 3-pointer at the horn.
The sophomore point guard nearly did it again at the end of the half heaving up a shot from across halfcourt that hit the front of the rim but didn’t go it leaving the game tied at 35 at halftime.
CLARION-LIMESTONE 67, NORTH CLARION 61
Score by Quarters
North Clarion 15 20 19 7 – 61
Clarion-Limestone 17 18 17 15 – 67
NORTH CLARION – 61
Nathan Banner 6 1-2 13, Chase Schmader 5 5-6 15, Keeven Weaver 3 0-2 6, Zander Hargenrader 5 0-0 11, Logan Minch 2 0-2 4, Sam Minich 4 0-1 9, Noah Meyers 1 0-0 3, Jesse Schmader 0 0-0 0, Matson Higgins 0 0-0 0. Totals 26 6-13 61.
CLARION-LIMESTONE – 67
Christian Smith 4 3-6 11, Deion Deas 5 2-2 14, Sam Leadbetter 3 2-4 8, Dan Callen 7 3-6 17, Julian Laugand 2 0-1 5, Mac Park 0 0-0 0, Ian Callen 6 0-0 12, Chris Callen-Deal 0 0-0 0. Totals 27 10-19 67.
Three-pointers – North Clarion 3 (Hargenrader, Sam Minich, Meyers). Clarion-Limestone 3 (Deas 2, Laugand)
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