ST. MARYS — The Coudersport Lady Falcons tried to survive without their leading scorer.
But after Shaelyn Black picked up three early fouls and was relegated to the bench, Coudersport simply couldn’t recover.
And it just might have cost them a trip to the title game.
North Clarion rolled to a 50-29 victory over the Lady Falcons in the District 9 Class A semifinals on Tuesday at St. Marys High School, and guaranteed that Coudy’s reign of D-9 Championships would be coming to an end.
After a back-and-forth first quarter that saw Coudersport (18-5) trailing by just three, the Lady Wolves flipped into a whole different gear on both sides of the ball mid-way through the second frame.
North Clarion (18-6) held Coudy to just four points, scored the final seven before halftime, and outscored the Falcons 40-22 over the final three quarters to secure the victory.
“We have seen very little 3-2 zone this year,” Coudersport coach Bob Tingley said after his team lost for just the second time in their last 20 games. “We did actually prepare for it, but the kids were like deer in the headlights out there. They really didn’t attack it well.”
Coudy’s struggles to attack that zone were magnified by Black’s absence. The senior, who averages over 14 points per game, was forced to sit out the entire second quarter and ended up fouling out of the game just two minutes into the fourth.
“We had her helping down low there and that’s where she picked (up the fouls),”Tingley said. “Mikayla (Gunn) also got two early fouls.
“But we turned the ball over a lot. We also didn’t shoot particularly well, and they did.”
The Lady Wolves, which will now have a chance for their third straight D-9 title, were led offensively by Mackenzie Bauer and Abby Gatesman.
Gatesman had nine of her 15 points in the second half, while Bauer netted five of her 15 at the free-throw line.
North Clarion was also potent from 3-point land, sinking five of its nine attempts from deep. Coudersport, meanwhile, hit just one trey in the game.
When Coudersport switched up its defense, and tried to force North Clarion into some turnovers of its own, it backfired into some uncontested transition buckets for the Wolves.
“They sneaked out on us a few times at the end of the half and got a few easy baskets,” Tingley said. “Once we had to get into our half-court trap — which I really didn’t want to do against them — that didn’t work. We got one turnover and gave up two baskets.”
“We saw a lot of things today that we didn’t see all year. We just weren’t as prepared.”
Black led Coudy with 12 points, while Rosalyn Page added seven.
The Falcons will now enter uncharted territory, as Tingley’s squad will play Otto-Eldred in the consolation round on Thursday night. Both teams are already guaranteed a berth in the PIAA playoffs, but the game will determine seeding.
After winning two straight D-9 titles (both in Class AA over Kane), Tingley is now focusing on his girls getting back on the court and entering the state playoffs with some momentum.
“It’s just a day away, but I do think we need to play again,” he said. “We need to get back out there on the court and feel good about ourselves again.”
North Clarion will go for its third straight Class A title later this week against top-seed Johnsonburg.
AT ST. MARYS
North Clarion (50)
Abby Gatesman 5 3-4 15, Mackenzie Bauer 5 5-6 15, Schmader 1 0-0 2, Sherman 2 4-9 8, Carll 3 0-0 9, Manross 0 2-2 2. Totals: 16 14-21 50
Coudersport (29)
Shaelyn Black 4 2-2 10, Chambers 2 0-0 5, Page 3 1-2 7, Stimaker 1 1-4 3, Bowser 1 0-2 2. Totals: 11 4-10 29
N. Clarion 10 22 37 50
Coudy 7 11 18 29
Three-point goals: NC 5 (Carll 3, Gatesman 2), Coudy 1 (Chambers); total fouls: NC 9, Coudy 14; fouled out: Black (Coudy)
