Kerschbaumer

KARNS CITY — If only Dave Kerschbaumer could bottle the performance his team had in the first quarter.

The Karns City girls basketball coach liked what he saw in the first eight minutes of Thursday's home game against North Clarion.

In the opening period, the Gremlins were 7-of-11 from the field, committed just one turnover and led a solid Wolves squad 15-11.

KC was unable to sustain the efficient play, however, and fell to North Clarion by a score of 59-41.

"After the first quarter, we got lackadaisical on both ends of the floor," said Kerschbaumer. "It's like we were just going through the motions and it's been that way all year."

The Gremlins (2-9, 2-11) were outscored 16-7 in the second period, but still trailed only 27-22 at the break.

But the Wolves (10-4, 11-5) opened the second half with a 12-3 run to take a 39-25 edge midway through the third period.

The run was sparked by 3-pointers from Jamie Zacherl, Kelsi Zacherl and Jessica Tarr.

"We definitely have some outside shooters and it has given us a big boost this season," said North Clarion coach Paula Judy.

Karns City senior forward Ashley Campbell scored 23 points and pulled down 16 rebounds while teammate Hannah Beck chipped in with 10 points.

North Clarion, which clinched a District 9 Class A playoff spot for the first time in nine years with the win, received 16 points from Karlee Cyphert and 15 apiece from Jamie Zacherl and Tarr.

"We've had many games this season in which we've had two or three girls in double figures," said Judy.

Thursday's game marked the beginning of a brutal stretch run for Karns City, as the team will play eight games in 16 days.

NORTH CLARION 59Jamie Zacherl 7 0-0 15, Kelsi Zacherl 1 0-0 3, Karlee Cyphert 7 2-2 16, Jessica Tarr 5 3-6 15, Lacey Niederriter 0 2-2 2, Emily Gatesman 0 1-3 1, Kaitie Kline 3 1-3 7, Alicia Carroll 0 0-0 0, Angela McCauley 0 0-0 0, Ashley Hollis 0 0-0 0, Jordan Tarr 0 0-0 0. Totals: 23 9-16 59.

KARNS CITY 41Taylor Kerschbaumer 1 0-0 3, Cait Davis 2 0-6 4, Hannah Beck 4 2-4 10, Ashley Campbell 8 7-8 23, Stephanie Stoughton 0 1-2 1, Brooke Hiles 0 0-0 0, Corinne Conto 0 0-0 0, Jennifer Pickett 0 0-0 0, Sarah Young 0 0-0 0. Totals: 15 10-20 41.

North Clarion 11 16 18 14—59Karns City 15 7 7 12—413-point goals: North Clarion 4 (Je. Tarr 2, J. Zacherl, K. Zacherl); Karns City (Kerschbaumer).

JV: North Clarion 42-30 (KC-Kayla Reckner, 7 points).

Today: Redbank Valley at Karns City