Clarion clinched its 12th PSAC-West playoff spot in 14 years with their 103-98 win over Slippery Rock this past Saturday.
Clarion’s No. 15 Shameel Carty, and No. 32 Paul McQueen, look to rebound the basketball. (Caitlin McGill / The Clarion Call)
“We know how to win the big games from our experience of close games this year. We were able to come up big in the clutch,” sophomore forward Paul McQueen said.
The Golden Eagles were looking to rebound from their three-game losing streak, and to find their shooting touch again.
Clarion found that touch early in the first half jumping out to an early 15-9 lead on back to back shots by McQueen.
Slippery Rock would not go away as they matched Clarion shot for shot. As well as the Golden Eagles shot in the first half, they never had more then a seven point lead.
With nine second remaining in the half, Jamar Harrison converted two free throws to give Clarion a 43-40 lead.
Clarion took a 43-42 lead into the half when Andre Tarver of Slippery Rock was only able to make two of three free throws.
Clarion drastically improved their shoot in the first half over the past three games, shooting 56.7 percent from the field, including 3-5 (60 percent) from beyond the arc and 6-8 (75 percent) from the charity strip.
Clarion got off to a terrible start in the second half, falling behind 60-49 six and a half minutes in before calling a muct needed timeout.
After regrouping, the Golden Eagles slowly started clawing their way back into the game.
With 9:32 remaining in regulation, freshman Brandyn Mungo tied the game for Clarion at 64-64 with a lay up. The teams exchanged blows until Shameel Carty nailed a three pointer to give Clarion a 74-70 lead with 6:47 remaining.
Clarion was able to nurse a four-point lead all the way until the last second of regulation.
Down by two, Slippery Rock’s Cecil Brown drove the lane and made a lay up to tie the game at 87-87 as time expired.
After quickly getting down by three points in overtime, Clarion came out strong and dominated the rest of the extra period. With 3:07 remaining in overtime, Lloyd Harrison made a layup to give Clarion a 92-90 lead.
Lloyd Harrison, McQueen, and Parker were able to seal the 103-98 victory from the free throw line, as they each made a pair of free throws in the final minute.
Lloyd Harrison led the team with 24 points and 12 rebounds, while Parker added 19 points off the bench.
“He is a very valuable player for us. He is playing with a lot of confidence,” Coach Ron Righter says of senior guard Parker.
McQueen added 17 points, while Jamar Harrison and Carty each chipped in with 15 points.
Junior guard Jamar Harrison was named conference player of the week for averaging 20 points per game in his two games while helping Clarion secure a playoff berth.
Clarion was back in action last night against Lock Haven, with a chance to clinch the No. 2 seed in the conference playoffs and a home playoff game.
It was also senior night for lone senior Greg Parker.
“It has been a long season. I’m glad opportunities are starting to come and that we have a chance to play into March,” Parker said.
Clarion rebounded after a tough first half where they found themselves down by double digits for most of the half.
The Golden Eagles were not able to get into a rhythm shooting only 34.5 percent from the field. A big part of that was point guard Lloyd Harrison spent much of the first half on the bench in foul trouble. Clarion trailed 37-26 at the half
The second half seemed like a totally different game. The golden Eagles slowly started chipping away until they were able to take their first lead at 54-52 with 7:37 remaining in the game.
The two teams exchange baskets until the final minutes of the game. Lock Haven took a 60-59 lead with 2:23 left on a three pointer by Eli Hanna.
With 1:04 left Carty drove the lane and gave Clarion a 61-60 lead that proved to be the winning shot. Clarion added six free throws in the final 25 seconds to make the final score 67-60.
The Golden Eagles will be back in action with their regular season finale this Saturday at Edinboro.
