KARNS CITY — Clarion boys basketball coach Jim Harmon has seen enough of Karns City's Matt McConnell.

And it's all because of the latter's fourth-quarter performance Thursday.

Through the first three periods, McConnell had been in and out of the lineup without scoring a point.

But with the game still up for grabs in the final eight minutes, he simply took over for the Gremlins.

The junior guard sank four 3-pointers in a span of 4 minutes and 41 seconds, turning a dogfight into a 55-41 win for Karns City.

"Those 3-pointers came right in a row, and that really broke the game open," said Harmon.

McConnell ended the game with 14 points, sparking Karns City to a 24-11 fourth-period run after leading by only one point at the end of the third quarter (31-30).

"In every game, we have different guys step up," said Gremlins coach Steve Andreassi. "And tonight, it was Matt."

McConnell's first 3-pointer put the Gremlins ahead 34-33 with 6:10 left.

His last trey was a stake through the Bobcats' hearts, giving KC a 47-37 lead with 1:29 to go.

"Clarion was just playing their normal defense in the fourth quarter," said McConnell. "But when I get on a roll, I can usually tell that it's going in right when it leaves my hand."

"Sometimes, you have to give Matt some time to shoot," Andreassi said. "But we could tell in the fourth quarter that he was feeling it."

McConnell's long-range shooting wasn't the only reason Clarion lost the game.

The Bobcats also committed 31 turnovers, many of which ended spurts that could have fueled comeback attempts.

"Those turnovers and their kid that hit four 3-pointers in the fourth quarter, that was the combination that did us in," said Harmon.

The Gremlins experienced trouble handling the ball too, but they corrected the problem in the second half.

KC had almost as many turnovers (17) as points (19) at intermission, but it endured only six miscues in the final two quarters.

"It just came down to smarter play," said Andreassi. "We told the players at halftime that as hard as they're trying to penetrate the defense, you still have to use your head."

Cameron Turner led the Gremlins with 17 points and Mike McConnell — Matt's brother — added 14 points in the win.

Drew Vandermeer paced Clarion with 13 points.

The Gremlins and Bobcats are tied for the top spot in the KSAC-East, but the Gremlins have the head-to-head tie-breaker because they also won a 50-48 decision at Clarion (17-6, 14-4) Jan. 3.

A sweep of a team that starts two players who stand 6-feet-4 is no small feat.

"Clarion is so big," said Andreassi. "They make it tough to throw over and rebound against."

If Karns City (16-7, 14-4) defeats Redbank Valley tonight, the Gremlins will play Keystone in the KSAC championship game Saturday at Clarion High.

The team also could earn a trip to the conference title game if Clarion loses to North Clarion today.

CLARION 41Ryan Best 2 1-1 5, Drew Vandermeer 6 1-1 13, Paul McGinley 2 0-0 4, Ryan Hritz 4 2-4 11, Theron Miles 4 0-0 8, Adam Bevevino 0 0-0 0.

Totals: 18 4-6 41.

KARNS CITY 55Mike McConnell 2 9-15 14, Cameron Turner 5 6-12 17, Matt McConnell 4 2-2 14, Kevin Beck 3 2-3 8, Mike Senopole 1 0-0 2, Dan Everetts 0 0-0 0, Trevor Williams 0 0-0 0, Kody Craig 0 0-0 0, Chris Harmon 0 0-0 0, Cory Terwilliger 0 0-0 0.

Totals: 15 19-32 55.

Clarion 8 11 11 11—41Karns City 9 10 12 24—553-point goals: Clarion (Hritz); Karns City 6 (Matt McConnell 4, Mike McConnell, Turner)

JV: Karns City 60-34

Today: Karns City at Redbank Valley