CHERRY TWP — Things were going just fine for the Moniteau girls basketball team.

The Warriors had a 7-0 lead over Clarion and were making life difficult for the Bobcats on defense.

Then Moniteau went cold. Arctic cold. Absolute zero cold.

Moniteau shot just 1-of-18 from the floor in a dismal second quarter and hit just 23 percent of its shots in the game in a 37-31 home loss to Clarion Wednesday night.

“I knew it was bad,” said Moniteau coach Mark Yeager. “I didn't know it was that bad.”

It was. After a 4-for-8 performance from the floor in the first quarter and a lead, Moniteau missed its next 15 shots.

Still, the Warriors held Clarion to just 19 first half points and trailed by seven.

“That's been the story of our season,” Yeager said. “All of our games have been close.”

Moniteau (5-5) has lost its five games by a combined 32 points — including a 16-point setback against Clarion earlier in the season.

“They play a physical style of play and it rattled us a little early,” said Clarion coach Roger Walter, whose team came into the game averaging 58 points per contest. “Their record doesn't show what they are. They are 10 points away from winning three more games. They make it tough on you.”

Clarion (10-1) didn't have a player score in double digits. In fact, the starting five for the Bobcats managed just 14 points.

Ashley Hummell came off the bench to lead her team with nine points.

“She really gave us a big spark,” Walter said of Hummell. “She's been playing spotty, so that was a big lift for her.”

Katie Brehm led Moniteau with 12 points and five rebounds. Heather Porter, who had a dramatic shot from nearly half court go in to cap a comeback and a dramatic 38-36 win for the Warriors' junior varsity team, added eight points off the bench.

Walter said Moniteau is a team that is waiting in the weeds, ready to make a strong push in the second half of the season.

Yeager can see the same thing.

“We're really not a bad shooting team,” Yeager said. “Once some of those shots start falling, we'll be in good shape. We'll keep our head up and they'll bounce back.”

CLARION 37Brianna Nellis 0-0 0-0 0, Liz Shannonhouse 1-6 0-0 2, Audrey Hummell 2-8 0-0 4, Kate Fillman 3-5 1-2 7, Hannah Wolf 3-7 1-2 7, Kyla Miles 0-6 1-2 1, Ashley Hummell 2-2 5-7 9, Mercy Kroh 1-1 0-0 2, Maci Thornton 2-5 1-4 5.

Totals: 14-40 8-17 37.

MONITEAU 31Katie Brehm 6-14 0-0 12, Amanda Sloan 0-11 0-1 0, Krista Snyder 1-4 0-0 2, Ashley Brehm 1-8 0-0 3, Heather Porter 1-6 6-10 8, Fontaine Glenn 1-2 2-2 4, Nikki Yeckel 1-2 0-0 2, Stephanie McCall 0-0 0-0 0.

Totals: 11-47 8-13 31.

Clarion 8 11 9 9—37Moniteau 9 3 8 11—313-point goals: Clarion 0; Moniteau 1 (A. Brehm

JV Score: Moniteau 38-36

Friday: Moniteau at Cranberry