Knights dodge another bullet
CLARION — Trent Corle was scoreless, in foul trouble and out of sorts.
Then came the fourth quarter
The Union senior forward scored all 10 of his points in the final eight minutes as the Golden Knights boys basketball team rallied from an eight-point deficit to oust North Clarion, 49-47, in a District 9 Class A semifinal at Clarion University Wednesday night.
“He got into early foul trouble and then he got that look in his face like a deer in headlights,” said Union coach Karen Davis. “Then all of a sudden, he steps up and takes the ball to the hole.”
Union (20-6) trailed 36-28 with 50 seconds remaining in the third quarter and had three key players in foul trouble.
“We were all in foul trouble,” Corle said. “I always get in foul trouble early, but I finally got back in the groove by the fourth quarter. I just stepped in and tried to do what I could.”
Behind Corle and a defense that forced more than 20 North Clarion turnovers, Union went on a 12-2 run over the next five-plus minutes to take a 42-38 lead.
The Knights never trailed again.
Close games have been the norm for Union in the playoffs, and its ability to perform under pressure again was a boon for the Knights.
“When you are a team that wins by a lot all the time, and then you get in a tight situation ... you just want to crawl in a hole,” Davis said. “When you are used to being in a tight game, you know you have to keep fighting because you never know.”
Despite losing an eight-point lead, North Clarion kept the pressure on.
Union never led by more than four points in the final three minutes and the Wolves had the ball with a chance to tie twice in the final 30 seconds.
After a Union turnover with eight seconds remaining, North Clarion guard Jeremy Schmader drove the lane and put up a shot that missed. Joe Dean jumped for a rebound, but all the forward grabbed was the rim and Union escaped with the win.Schmader finished with 18 points to lead the Wolves. Pollock paced Union with 13 points. Shawn Booth had 11.This will be the first trip to the district championship game for the Golden Knights since the 1991-92 season and they haven't won a district title since 1981.“Are you kidding me?” Davis asked. “It's been that long?”It has. But since Davis took over the program eight years ago, she has slowly changed the culture.Now, Union is on the verge of a title.The Golden Knights will play Elk County Catholic Saturday at Clarion University at a time to be determined“When this group was coming up through, I knew they were special,” Davis said. “They worked hard and they believed in what I was telling them. I'm so happy for the kids, for the community, for everybody.”<B>NORTH CLARION 47</B>Jeremy Schmader 8-13 1-4 18, Josh Bauer 0-4 0-0 0, Kyle Howarth 0-3 0-0 0, Zach Schmader 0-2 1-2 1, Dylan Young 2-7 0-0 5, Mitch Obenrader 2-7 0-0 4, Steve Hargenrader 5-9 2-4 12, Joe Dean 3-6 1-3 7. <B>Totals:</B> 20-51 5-13 47.<B>UNION 49</B>Taylor Smith 4-13 1-3 9, Brody Pollock 4-14 5-7 13, Shawn Booth 4-9 1-1 11, Trent Corle 4-11 2-2 10, Aaron Graham 1-1 0-0 2, Derek Shirey 2-4 0-0 4, Austin Davis 0-4 0-0 0, Mike Harris 0-0 0-0 0, Brody Shick 0-0 0-0 0. <B>Totals:</B> 19-56 9-13 49.<B>North Clarion 12 11 13 11—47Union 12 6 12 19—493-point goals:</B> North Clarion 2 (J. Schmader, Young); Union 2 (Booth 2).<B>Saturday:</B> Union vs. Elk County Catholic, District 9 Class A championship game at Clarion University, time TBD
