CLARION — Facing a one-point deficit with just eight seconds to go, Coudersport got the ball to a usual playmaker: Sarah Chambers.
Chambers caught a pass from out top, shook off a defender and converted an and-1 to lift Coudersport past previously undefeated North Clarion, 42-40, in the District 9 Class A Championship at Clarion University’s Tippin Gym.
The win gives Coudersport (21-4) its third District 9 title in four years, and its first since rejoining Class A in 2019.
“It means so much,” Chambers said of her game-winner and the D9 title. “In the summer hours, we were in the gym 8-11 every single morning. We’d play basketball and lfit, so this goes back to all those hours in the gym and the hard work we put in as a team.”
The loss was North Clarion’s (24-1) first this season. Previously, the Lady Wolves had won each of their games by at least nine points.
But through a defensive effort focused on NC’s Abby Gatesman, who was averaging 14.5 points per game, and a patient offensive day, the Lady Falcons ended that unbeaten run.
Gatesman did score 19 points on the day, but was held to just four in the first half thanks to tight face-guarding by Coudy guard Mikayla Gunn.
“(North Clarion) is very solid and they’re well-coached,” Coudy coach Bob Tingley said. “They’ve got a very good player in Gatesmann, and I thought Mikayla did a great job on her. (Gatesman) got her points, but (Mikayla) made it hard for her to get them.”
Her Coudy teammates each stepped up as well. Gatesman was the only North Clarion player in double figures, and no other Lady Wolf had more than six.
It played right into the gameplan Tingley wanted his team to follow — avoid getting into a shootout, and stay patient on offense.
“We really did (get the kind of game we wanted),” Tingley said. “We went at a pace that was good for them, too, but we had a good scout on them and did what we had to do.”
The contest was tightly contested throughout. The largest lead either team was a nine-point advantage Coudersport held after Rosalyn Page hit three straight layups out of halftime. Her 6-point spurt put the Lady Falcons up 25-16 out of the break.
Page finished the night with 10 points, and has scored in double figures in each of Coudy’s three postseason games now.
But after that brief run, Gatesman began heating up. The Clarion University commit scored nine points in the third quarter as the Lady Wolves closed the Coudy lead to 30-29 entering the fourth.
“At halftime, we knew North C larion would try to get (Gatesman) into the game, and they did,” Tingley said.
From there, North Clarion scored the first four points of the fourth to take a 33-30 lead, while Coudy was struggling with turnovers. The Lady Falcons committed 20 on the night.
But Gunn managed to get to the line twice and hit all four free throws to draw the Lady Falcons back to within two, 36-34. Gunn led Coudersport in scoring with 15 points, and hit a game-high three 3-pointers. She’s also scored in double figures in each of Coudy’s postseason contests.
“I’ve stayed late after practice some days to keep shooting, and I’ve gained a lot of confidence,” Gunn said of her recent spurt. “It was a big deal to me to step up as a senior and do this.”
The teams traded buckets down the stretch, as Gatesman scored four more points while Chambers scored four of her own and Page added a free throw.
Then, with just nine seconds left, Gatesman went to the line for a one-and-one opportunity, but missed the front end. Coudy collected the rebound and called a timeout to set up its final attack.
“We were just trying to get it in and run a set offense and do it quickly,” Chambers said of the team’s final play.
Instead, the Falcons found Chambers on the wing, and the small forward slipped by her defender and converted an and-1 layup to put the Lady Falcons up 42-40 with 3.6 seconds to go.
“I knew as soon as I got past (the defender), because I kind of felt her grabbing me,” Chambers said. “But I blocked that out to get straight to the hoop to get a layup, and it was a pretty wide-open layup, so I just tried to get it.”
After her go-ahead bucket, North Clarion dribbled across halfcourt and took a timeout to draw up its own final play, but out of that timeout, Chambers intercepted the final Lady Wolf pass intended for Gatesman.
“It feels wonderful; I can’t even describe it,” Gunn said of the win. “I’m so ecstatic about what the team did. It’s just hard to comprehend.”
The Lady Falcons now move on to face the WPIAL’s sixth-place team, Avella. North Clarion gets fourth-place Sewickley Academy from the same District.
“I hope we can be state champions,” Chambers said of the PIAA tournament. “We’re going to try, and that’s our ultimate goal.”
AT CLARION
Coudersport (42)
Mikayla Gunn 4 4-4 15, Rosalyn Page 4 2-4 10, S.Chambers 3 3-3 9, Stimaker 2 0-0 4, Frame 0 2-2 2, E. Chambers 1 0-0 2. Totals: 14 11-13 42
North Clarion (40)
Abby Gatesman 9 1-2 19, Bauer 1 0-0 2, Green 1 0-0 2, Schmader 1 3-5 5, Siegel 1 1-2 3, Thompson 3 0-0 6, Shenman 0 3-4 3. Totals: 16 8-13 40
Coudersport 7 19 30 42
North Clarion 6 16 29 40
Three-point goals: Coudy 3 (Gunn 3), NC 0; Total fouls: Coudy 12, NC 13; fouled out: none.
