CLARION — The North Clarion (24-2) girls team earned its first ever D-9 Championship, defeating Otto-Eldred (17-8) in the Class A title game 53-40.
The She-Wolves were once again led by junior forward Tori Obenrader, who scored a team-high 20 points and was dominant on the boards.
This was only the second time North Clarion had ever even made it to the D-9 title game, with the first appearance coming way back in 1986.
“It feels really good,” North Clarion coach Terry Dreihaup said about his team’s win. “The girls worked super-hard since last March. As soon as our season ended, they got started right back up again. This was a goal from last year. They worked hard, we knew what we had to do. Just a great win for us.”
North Clarion asserted its dominance early, outscoring the Lady Terrors 12-3 in the first quarter alone, with Obenrader scoring 10 of those points.
The Lady Terrors struggled from the field all game long. North Clarion’s zone defense forced O-E into a lot of long-range shots as well as high-difficulty ones from midrange.
“Shots weren’t falling for us that’s for sure,” O-E coach Barb Close said.
On the other end, the She-Wolves were able to convert on the kinds of tough chances that the Terrors simply couldn’t.
O-E started to show signs of life early in the fourth quarter. Camryn Thomas started to convert in the low post, eventually finishing with a game-high 21 points.
Unfortunately for the Lady Terrors, they simply missed too many open opportunities to get themselves back in the game.
Despite the loss, the Lady Terrors still made history by appearing in their first-ever D-9 title game.
With both teams heading to the state tourney next week, Close is proud to see how far her program has come.
“Just a really great experience for the girls,” she said. “I told them not to hang their head about anything, to be proud of getting here. Hopefully we’ll be here again next year.”
At CLARION
Otto-Eldred (40)
A. Cousins 1 2-2 4, Shelander 1 0-0 3, Bair 2 0-0 4, Camryn Thomas 7 7-8 21, Smith 1 0-0 2, Frederick 1 1-2 4, Greeley 1 0-4 2, Totals 14 10-16 40.
North Clarion (53)
Higgins 3 1-4 9, Cassie Wagner 5 0-3 10, Gatesman 2 3-5 7, Tori Obenrader 8 1-2 20, A. Carll 2 0-0 5, G. Carll 1 0-1 2, Totals 21 5-14 53.
Otto-Eldred 03 13 24 40
North Clarion 12 24 40 53
Three-point goals: Otto-Eldred 2 (Shelander, Frederick), North Clarion 6 (Higgins 2, Obenrader 3, A. Carll)
Total fouls: Otto-Eldred 21, North Clarion 13. Fouled out: none
