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TIM WEIGHT / For The Express Bellefonte senior Jake Corman (32) shoots a layup in a game against Clearfield on Monday night at Bellefonte High School.
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TIM Weight/For Express Bellefonte senior point guard Derek Cox hits a layup over a Clearfield defender in Monday night’s win at Bellefonte High School.
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TIM Weight/For Bellefonte Express point guard Ryder Hamilton drives to the basket in Monday night’s game against Clearfield.
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TIM WEIGHT / For The Express Bellefonte senior guard Ethan Tomasacchi dribbles the ball during the game against Clearfield on Monday night at Bellefonte High School.
TIM WEIGHT / For The Express Bellefonte senior Jake Corman (32) shoots a layup in a game against Clearfield on Monday night at Bellefonte High School.
BELLEFONTE — With the game ticking 20 at halftime, Bellefonte boys basketball coach Rick Hall wasn’t exactly happy with what he was seeing from his team.
“We didn’t move the ball as much as I wanted to in the first half,” Hall said. “But we made some adjustments to our offense in the second half. We tried to take away their threes and their corner shots. We made those adjustments. Once they started giving the ball away, we were able to run the ball.”
The Red Raiders went on a 12-2 run to start the second half en route to a 62-45 win over Clearfield at Bellefonte Area High School on Monday night.
It was the first win of the season for the Red Raiders, who improved to 1-3.
“I’m happy for the kids. They busted their asses off the first three games and we lost two of the three games by a total of six points — one by five, one by one — and we missed a total of 34 foul shots in those two games. These guys are very capable of being 3-1 in This time. “It’s good to bounce back,” Hall said.
TIM Weight/For Express Bellefonte senior point guard Derek Cox hits a layup over a Clearfield defender in Monday night’s win at Bellefonte High School.
For Clearfield, it was another chaotic outing. The Bison committed a large number of mistakes in the second half, which contributed to their decline.
They got the ball to start the second half and quickly dribbled the ball over to Bellefonte. The Red Raiders capitalized on an Ethan Tomasacci 3-pointer. Just like that, the red invaders were on the run.
Clearfield coach Nate Glunt gave Bellefonte credit for his play in the second half.
“They had very good ball movement and people were moving in the second half,” Glunt said after watching his team fall to 0-4. “They didn’t really penetrate much, but they ran their offense with screening. They got open shots. Rick’s doing a good job, and I knew they were going to make adjustments at halftime.”
After Tomasacci’s hat-trick, Belafonte was able to distribute the goals as Jacob McConnell, Ryder Hamilton and Peyton Vancas scored during the spurt.
TIM Weight/For Bellefonte Express point guard Ryder Hamilton drives to the basket in Monday night’s game against Clearfield.
The Red Raiders led 32-22 when Glant took a timeout with 4:22 remaining in the third quarter to stop the bleeding.
“We were pushing the ball up the floor and we went from good shooting to great shooting. I’ve been trying to get that the last three games. I think they’re starting to feel it. If someone’s flying at you, someone else has to be open,” Hall said. “I was really happy with my three-point shooting and passing as well.”
The 10-point deficit was too much for the Bison to overcome. A nervous Glant team cut the lead to six points when Bryson Patrick completed a three-point play with 7:31 left, but Bellefonte’s Derrick Cox hit a 3-pointer and followed that up with a steal and layup like the Red Raiders. Withdrew, 44-33.
The Red Raiders did an excellent job of posting goals. Cox led the Red Raiders with 16 points, while Hamilton, McConnell and Jacob Korman each had 11 points.
Corman had a brilliant second half, scoring 9 of his 11 goals over the final 16 minutes.
TIM WEIGHT / For The Express Bellefonte senior guard Ethan Tomasacchi dribbles the ball during the game against Clearfield on Monday night at Bellefonte High School.
“Their big man (Corman) is a really good player. He was able to be wide. He controlled the paint with his touches and rebounds. That was the difference,” Glunt said.
Hall agreed.
“When we started throwing the ball to Jake Corman, it opened things up. They had to break down on him, and he had some great moves there,” Hall said. “I thought he had a great game.”
Clearfield had two players — Patrick (23 points) and Yvette Maines (14) — in double figures.
Bellefonte outscored Clearfield 42-25 in the second half. Hall hopes the Red Raiders can build on the win.
“I really think so. We just needed confidence in our shooting and attacking,” Hall said. “I think we can definitely build on this.”
Bellefonte 62, Clearfield 45
Clearfield (45)
Bryson Patrick 10 1-1 23; Yvette Mains 5 2-2 14; Parker Collins 2 0-0 6; Brayline method 1 0-0 2; Anthony Lopez 0 0-0 0.
Bellefonte (62)
Derek Cox 7 0-0 16; Ryder Hamilton 4 2-3 11; Jake McConnell 5 0-0 11; Jacob Corman 5 0-0 11; John Servant 2 0-0 5; Ethan Tomasacci 2 0-0 5; Peyton Funcas 1 0-0 3; Trevor Johnson 0 0-0 0.
Three-pointers: Clearfield – Patrick 2, Collins 2, Maines 2. Belafonte – Cox 2, Hamilton, Vancas, Servant, McConnell, Tomasacci, Corman.
Clearfield 9 11 10 15 – 45
Bellefonte 11 9 19 23 – 62
Records: Clearfield 0-4; Bellefonte 1-3.
Next game: Thursday vs Tyrone, 6pm
The Bellefonte boys basketball team put on an impressive show as they rallied in the second half to clinch a thrilling victory over Clearfield. The team’s resilience and determination were on full display as they overcame early deficits to secure the win. This exciting game left fans on the edge of their seats until the very end, and the players’ hard work and skill were evident throughout the entire match. This victory is sure to boost the team’s morale and confidence as they continue their pursuit of success in the upcoming games.