Taking the first step
CLARION — In terms of playoff seeding, Karns City girls basketball team's 36-28 win over Clarion Friday night meant little.
For the players, the result was much more significant. Winning allowed the Gremlins to accomplish a goal they set before the season.
Playing on the big floor at Clarion University's Tippin Gymnasium, the Gremlins won their first Keystone Shortway Athletic Conference title since 2003-04.
That was enough motivation for Karns City.
“It meant a lot to us, especially since we haven't won since 2003-04,” sophomore forward LeeAnn Gibson said. “To come here and lose would have upset us. We wanted to get the win.”
Having this group get used to playing at Clarion was also a big step for Karns City coach Dave Kerschbaumer. Most likely, the Gremlins (21-1) will have to play there again in the postseason.
“I was telling (assistant coach) Ally Kepple on the way up here that it used to be old hat for us to come here. We knew where to go, we knew where to walk,” Kerschbaumer said. “We knew where to get something to eat. It's all new for these girls. ... Now we have some bigger things on the horizon for us, hopefully.”
Clarion (17-6) tried to take the air out of the ball to disrupt Karns City's pace. Earlier in the season, the Bobcats struggled to keep up in a 54-33 loss.
Clarion's offense just never found a rhythm. Gibson, who finished with 17 points and nine rebounds, scored the game's first five points. The Bobcats missed their first six shots and they never led.
Kayla Miles, who led Clarion with nine points, forced the only tie.
She matched Gibson's five points to tie the game with 2:57 left in the first quarter.
Gibson made two free throws and Emily Schumacher followed with a jumper to put Karns City ahead for good 9-5.
“It looked like we made a run, they are going to play with us if we do that. We tried it last time,” Clarion coach Roger Walter said. “We played the exact kind of game we want to play, but we were too timid early.”
Emily LoPresti kick-started the Gremlins' offense after halftime. She made two 3-pointers and two free throws to give Karns City its biggest lead, 27-14, with 5:00 left in the third quarter.
“I think we gained a lot of momentum after that,” said LoPresti, who finished with eight points. “We played on defense after that too.”
The Gremlins needed their defense in the fourth quarter. After Gibson scored on a layup with 5:48 remaining, Karns City only scored two points the rest of the game.
Clarion would close the gap to 34-28 on two Laken Ganoe free throws with 48 seconds left, but didn't get any closer.Karns City shot 34 percent (14 of 41) from the field during the game. Kerschbaumer didn't feel Clarion's slow pace impacted the Gremlins' offense.“Not too much. We wanted to be more patient on offense too,” Kerschbaumer said. “We got a little bit antsy a couple times. They wanted to slow it down and that was fine for us.”LoPresti was thrilled Karns City took another step.Now, she's ready for the next one.“We said at the beginning of the year and we were so excited to win this,” LoPresti said. “The next step for us is D9. We're looking forward to it.”KARNS CITY 36Emily LoPresti 2 2-2 8, LeeAnn Gibson 7 3-13 17, Annie Hegedus 1 0-0 2, Emily Schumacher 2 1-2 5, Shanel Preston 1 0-0 2, Alyssa Gibson 0 2-2 2 . Totals: 13 6-17 36.CLARION 28Laken Ganoe 1 3-4 5, Kyla Miles 4 1-4 9, Nicki Glenn 1 0-0 3, Maci Thornton 3 0-0 7, Grace Koh 0 1-2 1, Lauren Wiser 1 0-0 2, Ann Reed 0 0-0 0. Totals: 10 5-10 28.Karns City 11 8 11 6 — 36Clarion7 5 6 10 — 283-point goals: Karns City 2 (LoPresti 2); Clarion 1 (Glenn)Next: Karns City at Class AA District 9 playoffs TBD
