FOXBURG — A-C Valley is the new bully of Keystone Shortway boys basketball.

And the Falcons have yet to lose a neighborhood brawl this season.

Monday night's 66-52 home win over Clarion pushed A-C Valley's KSAC record to 13-0 (17-1 overall).

The Falcons were coming off an emotional 75-69 overtime win over North Clarion last Thursday. Both teams entered that game undefeated in KSAC play.

"That was a big win last week for us," said A-C Valley coach Jim Marron. "It's tough to keep the kids motivated after a game like that.

"We didn't play all that well tonight," he added.

The Falcons' lone defeat this season was a 61-58 loss to St. Joseph, a WPIAL team, on Jan. 2.

"This is the best start in my time as head coach," said Marron, who is in his 10th season of leading the team. "My expectations for this team have risen. I wasn't sure exactly how good we were at the beginning of the season."

Junior forward Allan Eaton leads the Falcons in scoring with 20.4 points per game. He scored 18 in Monday's win.

"We played all summer and we knew we'd be decent," Eaton said. "But we weren't sure how we'd stack up in the KSAC."

The Falcons are stacking up very well, winning all 13 of their KSAC contests by an average of 23 points entering Wednesday's game at Keystone.

Only three teams — Moniteau (74-68), Union (64-60) and North Clarion — have stayed within single digits of the Falcons.

The great record has led to packed gyms, at home and on the road.

"At North Clarion last week, they closed the doors at 6 o'clock," said Marron. "That place was so packed, they just couldn't let anybody else in.

"At our home games, the community support has been unbelievable," Marron added. "I'm seeing people at our games who I haven't seen in 15 years."

"One guy told me the only time he leaves his house is to go to the grocery store or to play bingo, but he's coming to our games," said Eaton. "It's ridiculous."

Marron knows his team's mindset is crucial to how the 2009-10 season will be remembered.

Possibly the team's biggest motivation hangs from the rafters of A-C Valley's gymnasium.

Though there have been several great Falcon teams since, the most recent District 9 Boys Basketball Champions banner is from 1973.

"We're trying to keep the kids focused," Marron said. "If we play as a team, we've got a legitimate shot at going pretty far, and that includes the state playoffs."

The next order of business for the Falcons is to clinch the KSAC-South title. Only Union (12-5, 11-2) can keep that from happening.

The two teams meet in the regular season finale Feb. 18.

Falcons' senior forward Reed Terwilliger seems to have the right perspective.

"We've played good basketball so far, but we have to play better if we want to win District 9 and make a run at states," he said.

CLARION 52Cody Renninger 3 0-0 7, Mike Beveridge 6 1-3 17, Camron Kirkland 5 0-0 11, Sheldon Miles 6 2-5 14, Bryce Straffin 0 1-3 1, Tyler Donaldson 1 0-0 2, T.J. Armstrong 0 0-2 0, Evan Fillman 0 0-0 0, Pat Tack 0 0-0 0, Zach Selker 0 0-0 0.

Totals: 21 4-13 52.

A-C VALLEY 66Blayne McGuirk 2 6-6 10, Ryan Bartley 0 3-4 3, Matt Bartley 3 3-4 10, Josh Austin 2 7-8 12, Reed Terwilliger 5 1-3 13, Allan Eaton 4 10-12 18, Alex Logue 0 0-0 0, Joe Kaufman 0 0-0 0, Jackson Wingard 0 0-0 0.

Totals: 16 30-37 66.

Clarion 9 13 13 17—52A-C Valley 13 17 17 19—663-point goals: Clarion 6 (Beveridge 4, Renninger, Kirkland); A-C Valley 4 (Terwilliger 2, M. Bartley, Austin).

Wednesday: A-C Valley at Keystone