By Calem Illig

For the Mirror

PATTON — This time one year ago, the Cambria Heights boys basketball team used its annual holiday tournament as a turning point toward an eventual state playoff run.

While the Highlanders went without a tourney championship this year, the team believes its performance in Wednesday night’s title game will once again pave the way to future success.

Cambria Heights fell to Clearfield in the championship game of its holiday tournament, 51-41, but has many positives to draw upon as it prepares for a rigid conference slate.

“We started the season 0-4 last year, but we picked up two wins at this tournament and ended up going on a nine game win streak,” said Heights senior Carter Lamb, who posted 13 points and was named to the all-tournament team. “We lost our first two games this year, and even though we didn’t win tonight, I feel like we’re on the right track.”

The Highlanders (4-6) opened the game with a 9-3 run, and back-to-back treys from junior Parker Farabaugh extended the lead to eight.

Guided by four first quarter points from Chris Sodmont along with a third 3-pointer from Farabaugh, Heights appeared to be in the driver’s seat with an 18-11 lead.

“I think in the first half, we had really good ball movement,” said Farabaugh, who had 14 points and connected on another shot from beyond the arc in the third quarter. “We were moving the ball around and got some rebounds. We were playing physical.”

Clearfield (5-2) began to apply more pressure in the second quarter and responded with a 16-7 run to take a marginal two-point lead into halftime.

In the second half, however, a quick sequence in the opening minutes shifted the game.

The Highlanders had back-to-back turnovers that resulted in points to push the deficit to six, and with ample opportunities, Clearfield’s Cole Miller was able to take over.

Miller, who was named the tournament’s most valuable player, netted 20 points to guide the Bison.

Additional 3-pointers from Anthony Lopez and Morgen Billotte made it a 41-30 game.

“It was all about fundamentals defensively, because (Cambria Heights is) a good team,” Clearfield coach Nathan Glunt said. “They’re very well coached. They did a lot of things with motion, ball screening and handoffs. They just don’t stand still. For us to come out of that third quarter and play better, I was really pleased.”

The Highlanders battled late and outscored the Bison despite in the fourth quarter being in foul trouble, but the damage at the beginning of the second half was simply too much to overcome.

“We tried to break the cycle and break (Clearfield’s) run a little bit, but I think they got the lead up to 11 at one point,” Heights coach Eric Nagel said. “We came out of a timeout and scored, but I think we just lost a couple possessions down the stretch.”

Although the Highlanders were winners of only four of their first 10 games, they return to conference play with a much more manageable schedule.

The team is hoping to catch fire after the new year, just as it did a season ago.

“We got a win over Glendale (in the tournament semifinal Tuesday night), which was key,” Nagel said. “Things really started to click in the first quarter for us tonight. I think that’s the building block we’re going with right now.”

CAMBRIA HEIGHTS (41): Farabaugh 5 0-0 14, Lamb 5 3-5 13, Rogal 2 2-5 6, Sodmont 3 0-0 6, Nelen 1 0-0 2, Yeckley 0 0-0 0, Baker 0 0-0 0. Totals — 16 5-10 41.

CLEARFIELD (51): Miller 6 6-11 20, Greslick 5 1-2 12, Billotte 4 0-2 9, Kushner 2 0-0 4, Lopez 1 0-0 3, Maines 1 0-0 3, Clark 0 0-0 0, Way 0 0-0 0. Totals — 19 7-15 51.

SCORE BY QUARTERS

Cambria Heights 18 7 7 9 — 41

Clearfield 11 16 16 8 — 51

3-point goals: Cambria Heights 4 (Farabaugh 4); Clearfield 6 (Miller 2, Lopez, Maines, Greslick, Billotte).

Records: Cambria Heights (4-6); Clearfield (5-2).

Pirates win consy

PATTON — Williamsburg defeated Glendale, 57-46, in the consolation game of the Cambria Heights Holiday Tournament with the help of 16 points from Zach Kagarise.

Rowan Gorsuch, who was named to the all-tournament team, added 15 points for the Blue Pirates, and R.J. Royer scored 10.

The Vikings got 17 points from all-tournament team member Mason Peterson and 10 points from Logan Cree.

GLENDALE (46): Potutschnig 3 0-0 7, Cree 5 0-1 10, Holes 2 4-5 9, McGarvey 0 1-2 1, Peterson 5 4-4 17, Kitko 0 2-2 2. Totals–15 11-13 46.

WILLIAMSBURG (57): Kagarise 6 2-6 16, Gorsuch 7 0-0 15, Royer 3 2-2 10, Brantner 2 1-2 5, Parks 2 0-3 4, Brumbaugh 2 0-0 4, Zehner, J 1 0-0 2, Zehner, E 0 0-0 0, Isenberg 0 1-2 1. Totals–23 6-12 57.

SCORE BY QUARTERS

Glendale 5 10 18 13 — 46

Williamsburg 17 17 12 11 — 57

3-point goals: Glendale 5 (Peterson 3, Holes, Potutschnig); Williamsburg 5 (Kagarise 2, Royer 2, Gorsuch).

Records: Glendale (1-5); Williamsburg (4-4).