Karns City's Brendan Waltman (23) looks to make a play against Clarion-Limestone defender R.J. Laugand in the Gremlins' 69-48 boys basketball loss Saturday.

KARNS CITY — Midway through the first quarter, Ethan Conto drained a 3-point shot that gave Karns City's boys basketball team a 10-9 lead Saturday afternoon.

So far, so good.

Then the roof fell in.

Clarion-Limestone went off on an 18-2 run — spearheaded by senior point guard R.J. Laugand — and never led by fewer than 13 the rest of the way in cruising to a 69-48 win over the Gremlins.

The Lions (18-3) led 43-22 by halftime in winning for the 15th time in 16 games. The Gremlins (11-8) had won 10 of their last 12.

“We weren't ready for the speed nor the physicality of this game,” KC coach Chris Bellis admitted. “I thought we adjusted well in the second half, came out more aggressively and played them on even terms.

“They are the defending KSAC champs with four returning starters. There's no disgrace in losing to those guys.”

The Gremlins played C-L even over the final two quarters, though the Lions protected their lead well.

“We backed off on our pace a bit in the second half,” C-L Coach Joe Ferguson said, his varsity team dressing only nine players. “But Karns City did make it tougher on us. They're a good team that plays hard.”

Laugand, MVP of the KSAC last season and the favorite to capture that honor again, scored 20 points, grabbed five rebounds, had four assists and three steals for the Lions. He holds C-L school records with more than 1,600 career points and 700 assists.

Laugand scored 16 points in the first half.

“He makes us go,” Ferguson said. “Colleges at all levels are looking at him.”

“He's a smart enough player to recognize where the double-team is coming from and finding the open man,” Bellis said. “That and their tall, athletic players inside make them a tough match for anybody.”Dan Callen had 14 points, five rebounds and three assists for C-L — which blocked numerous shots — while Kolton Stiglitz added 10 points and three assists.David Olszak led the Gremlins with 21 points, five rebounds and three assists. Dalton Callihan added 10 points and five boards. KC turned the ball over 24 times.“We're chasing our third KSAC title in four years,” Ferguson said. “We haven't won a district title since 1961. These guys would love to make that happen.”Karns City (girls) 80, Clarion-Limestone 17 — The Gremlins (17-3) missed their first nine shots. It didn't matter.KC used a 15-0 run to take a 17-2 lead in the first five minutes to roll past overmatched and turnover-plagued C-L. The Lions (2-19) had 38 turnovers on the day, 16 in the first quarter alone.“It took us a while to get going today,” KC coach Dave Kerschbaumer said. “A 1:30 Saturday afternoon game following a game the night before is different.“Normally, some kids don't wake up until this time on a Saturday.”Emily Hegedus paced four KC players in double figures with 20 points. Emily LoPresti had 13 points, five steals, four assists and four rebounds. Shanel Preston had 12 points and five steals, Alyssa Gibson 12 points and four assists.Many of Karns City's starters barely played more than half the game.“We've had a lot of games like this,” Kerschbaumer said. “That's why our girls aren't up there among the leaders in statistics. They rarely play more than three quarters of a game.“Today was about us. We wanted to run our stuff and execute, regardless of the opponent. For the most part, we did a good job of that.”Megan Kelley led C-L with nine points.GirlsCLARION-LIMESTONE 17Erica Hetrick 1-2 0-0 2, Josie Stitt 1-2 0-0 2, Paige Aaron 1-8 0-0 2, Megan Kelley 4-12 0-0 9, Monique Monrean 0-0 2-6 2, Megan Clark 0-5 0-0 0. Totals: 7-29 2-6 17.KARNS CITY 80Alyssa Gibson 5-5 2-2 12, Emily Hegedus 10-13 0-1 20, Abby Wolfe 0-1 0-0 0, Emily LoPresti 6-14 0-0 13, Saydie Moore 2-3 0-0 5, LeErin Jones 1-3 0-0 2, LeeAnn Gibson 3-7 3-3 9, Annie Hegedus 2-8 2-4 7, Mackenzie Craig 0-0 0-0 0, Clara Stoughton 0-4 0-0 0, Shanel Preston 5-13 0-0 12. Totals: 34-71 7-10 80.Cl-Limestone 6 1 2 8 — 17Karns City25 18 20 17 — 803-point goals: Kelley; LoPresti, Moore, A.Hegedus, Preston 2JV: NoneToday: Moniteau at Karns CtyBoysCLARION-LIMESTONE 69R.J. Laugand 8-12 4-5 20, Josh Kahle 3-6 2-2 9, Noah Rankin 2-7 0-0 4, Devin Beers 1-2 0-0 2, Bailey Wrhen 0-2 0-0 0, Jesse Pezzuti 3-6 0-0 6, Kolton Stiglitz 5-8 0-0 10, Dan Callen 5-6 2-2 14, Cesar Lopez 2-4 0-0 4 . Totals: 29-53 8-10 69.KARNS CITY 48David Olszak 8-13 4-4 21, Ethan Cinto 2-4 0-2 6, Holden Martin 0-4 0-0 0, Christian Turner 0-1 0-0 0, Jake Wiles 1-1 0-0 2, Colton Hawk 0-1 0-0 0, Reese Barger 1-1 0-0 3, Brendan Waltman 1-3 0-2 2, Chandler Turner 0-2 2-2 2, Dalton Callihan 2-8 5-6 10, Jimmy Thompson 0-1 0-0 0, Noah Pollock 1-2 0-0 2, Dominick Callihan 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 16-41 11-16 48.Cl-Limestone 21 22 10 16 — 69Karns City10 12 13 13 — 483-point goals: Kahle, Callen 2; Olszak, Conto 2, Barger, CallihanJV: Karns City, 51-49 (C-L: Devin Beers 22, KC: Noah Pollock 12, Chandler Turner 12)Today: Karns City at Moniteau

Karns Ciity's David Olszak, center, tries driving through a pack of Clarion-Limestone players during the Gremlins' 69-48 boys basketball loss Saturday afternoon.