EMPORIUM — Johnsonburg is headed to the District 9 Class A title game after beating Cameron County, 26-24, in the semifinals Friday night in Emporium.
This low-scoring game saw some back-and-forth action with Jburg taking the lead after each quarter except for the first, in which the two teams were tied at 8-8.
Gabe Watts led the Rams (14-4) with 12 points, with five of those points coming in the fourth quarter. Eric Christoff had six points for Jburg on two treys.
Hayden Brown and Gavin Morton each had eight points to lead the Red Raiders (15-5).
With No. 1 Elk Catholic falling to Clarion, Jburg will host Tuesday’s district title game, where the Rams will look to win their second district championship in four years.
AT EMPORIUM
Johnsonburg (26)
Gabe Watts 5 1-2 12, Christoff 2 0-0 6, Stelene 1 3-4 5, Freeburg 1 0-0 3. Totals: 9 4-6 26
Cameron County (24)
Brown 3 0-0 8, Morton 3 0-0 8, Beldin 2 0-0 4, Guisto 1 2-4 4. Totals: 9 2-4 24
Johnsonburg 8 16 19 26
Cameron County 8 13 17 24
Three-point goals: Jburg 4 (Christoff 2, Freeburg, Watts), CC 4 (Morton 2, Brown 2); Total fouls: Jburg 9, CC 8; fouled out: None
No. 4 Clarion 55, No. 1 Elk County Catholic 49
ST. MARYS — Three players finished in double figures for Clarion, helping the team to an upset victory over the two-time defending district champions in Elk Catholic.
Clarion jumped out to a 7-0 lead, but the Crusaders (19-5) were able to fight back and later tied the game at 13 before Clarion took a 30-23 halftime advantage.
ECC trailed by just three points heading into the fourth quarter and got to within three points a couple more times in the final minute, but the Bobcats (15-9) sank their free throws to pull away and earn a trip to Tuesday’s title game at Johnsonburg.
Clarion made just one field goal in the fourth quarter, but made 12-of-14 free throws during the period and went 18-of-24 overall from the charity stripe.
Calvin German led Clarion with 17 points, while Beau Verdill finished with 14 and Hunter Craddock recorded 13.
For ECC, Mark Kraus scored a team-high 17 points, which included all three of the team’s treys, while Charlie Breindel tallied 13 and Mason McAllister totaled 10.
AT ST. MARYS
Clarion (55)
Calvin German 5 5-6 17, Beau Verdill 3 8-12 14, Hunter Craddock 6 1-2 13, Burford 2 4-4 9, Simko 1 0-0 2. Totals: 17 18-24 55
Elk Catholic (49)
Mark Kraus 7 0-0 17, Charlie Breindel 5 3-5 13, Mason McAllister 5 0-0 10, Jansen 4 1-2 9. Totals: 21 4-9 49
Clarion 15 30 41 55
Elk Catholic 13 23 38 49
Three-point goals: Clarion 3 (German 2, Burford), ECC 3 (Kraus); Total fouls: Clarion 12, ECC 15; fouled out: DePrator (ECC)
