DuBois trailed 23-22 at the half but opened the third quarter on an 8-4 run to take a 30-27 lead. However, the Lady Beavers' lead was short-lived.
Clearfield's Jayme Ryan drilled a trey to tie the game, sparking a 22-5 Lady Bisons' run that turned a three-point deficit into a 49-35 lead for Clearfield with five minutes remaining. DuBois easily could have folded during that run, but fought back down the stretch and cut Clearfield's lead to five at 53-48 with 1:19 left to play.
DuBois got five points each from Carly Wallock, Kirsten Wilcox and Sam Deter in the fourth quarter and got with five when Deter banked in a 3-pointer. Wilcox scored a game-high 15 points despite being in foul trouble in the second half, while Wallock scored 13.
That's as close as DuBois got though as Clearfield hit its free throws down the stretch to secure the victory. Clearfield knocked down 10 of 14 free throws in the final three minutes of the game, and the charity stripe played a key role in the game. Clearfield was 17 of 26 from the line in the game, while DuBois hit just 8 of 21.
"I'm disappointed that we lost, but the effort is there," said DuBois head coach Sam Kirk. "We've played four or five OK games in a row, but the girls need to play an entire game and get a win, which could lead to more wins.
"You saw it tonight. When they want to play hard, they can do it, but they have to do it for four quarters to win. Carly Wallock had her best game of the season. She hit some outside shots and penetrated to the hole well."
The game opened as a back-and-forth affair with the teams traded scores.
DuBois had four different girls scored baskets in the opening stretch as the teams were tied at 8-8 with 2:37 left to play in the first quarter. That's when Clearfield's Annie Janocko scored five quick points sandwiched around a DuBois foul to open up a five-point lead at 15-10.
Janocko scored seven of her team-high 14 points in the first quarter as the Lady Bisons led 17-10 after one frame.
DuBois controlled the second quarter, outscoring the Lady Bisons 12-6 to pull within one point at 23-22 at halftime. Wallock scored five points in the quarter, while Wilcox had four. Wallock knocked down a jumper just inside the 3-point line with a hand in her face in the final seconds of the quarter to send DuBois into the locker rooms on a high down just one point.
DuBois carried that momentum into the third quarter, using an 8-4 run to grab its final lead of the game at 30-27. Wallock and Wilcox each hit 3-pointers in the mini-run, while Lindsey Obremski recorded a bucket. Obremski scored 12 points on the night as she, Wallock and Wilcox combined to score 40 of DuBois' 50 points.
The Lady Beavers' lead was short-lived as Ryan hit a quick trey of her own to even the score at 30-30. Disaster then struck DuBois as Wilcox was hit with her third and fourth fouls less than a minute apart.
With Wilcox on the bench, Clearfield closed out the third quarter on a 13-2 run. Ryan hit a second three during Clearfield's closing spurt, while Lady Bison Gwenn Porter banked in a trey from the right wing at the buzzer to give Clearfield a 40-32 lead after three quarters.
Clearfield carried that momentum into the final quarter as Sarah Kovalick and Porter each hit 3s in the first three minutes of the period to give the Lady Bisons their largest lead (49-35) with five minutes to play. Porter's 3-pointer, which made the score 49-35, was Clearfield's last basket of the game.
That's when DuBois started to chip away at the Clearfield lead. Wilcox, Wallock and Sam Deter all scored five points in the fourth, while Obremski had three. The Lady Beavers got within five points at 53-48 when Deter banked in a trey of her own with 1:19 to play.
That's as close as DuBois got as Clearfield hit 6 of 8 free throws in the final minute. Wilcox scored on a drive to the basket in the final seconds to set the final at 59-50.
DuBois, 1-8 overall and 0-4 in the D-9 League, plays Monday, hosting St. Marys. Clearfield, 2-1 in the league and 4-4 overall, is at Elk County Catholic Tuesday.
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