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The Bishop Guilfoyle Academy Marauders basketball team suffered a 1-2 gut punch this past fall with the out-of-state transfer of sharp-shooting senior guard Jude Haigh and a likely season-ending injury sustained by center Trevor Rehm.
Nonetheless, the Marauders have shown in the early part of this season that their well has not run dry, and that their cupboard is far from bare.
BG placed four players in double figures Friday night and broke open what had been a tie game with a 17-point run extending from the midway point of the first quarter to the midway point of the second, while rolling to a 72-46 Laurel Highlands Athletic Conference victory over Clearfield at the Pleasant Valley gymnasium.
Junior football star Taurean Consiglio is just as skilled on the basketball court, and led the Marauders with a game-high 19 points, while senior guard Nick Foor chipped in 14. Junior forward Jake Kissell -- who collected a game-high nine rebounds -- and sophomore guard Grant Okonak scored 10 points apiece for BG, which improved to 2-0 overall and in conference play with its second one-sided victory of the season.
"The two players that we lost are great players, but we still have some really good players,'' BG coach Ryan Lestochi said. "And because of the situation, some of our players are getting opportunities that they might normally not have had.
"We also got a late start this year because a lot of our players are members of the (state championship) football team, but our guys have been around, and they know what we expect them to do,'' Lestochi added.
BG merged its offensive firepower, speed in transition, and ball-hawking defense to put together the run of 17 unanswered points that converted what had been an 11-11 tie into a commanding 28-11 Marauders lead.
Okonak's putback got the ball rolling for the Marauders, giving them the lead for good, 13-11, before Consiglio hit a 3-point shot from the left corner, then scored a length-of-the-court layup after making a steal. Consiglio was fouled on the drive, and converted the free throw to complete the three-point play, staking BG to a 19-11 advantage after one quarter.
The roll continued for BG early in the second period, as Foor hit a 3-pointer from the left side, then followed with consecutive field goals on a jumper and lay-in off a paint feed from Chase Kissell, as the Marauders' lead expanded to 15 points, 26-11. Consiglio culminated the BG 17-point outburst by converting another Chase Kissell assist to make it a 28-11 game.
"We just kept pressuring the ball, and double-teaming them when we could, and that led to some steals and some open shots for us,'' Foor said. "We do our best as a team when we're pushing the ball up the floor in transition. We feel that a lot of teams can't run with us.''
That was the case Friday night after the Marauders gained some separation.
"We feel like we're a fast team that likes to push the pace offensively and likes to play pressure defense,'' Lestochi said. "Eventually, that can wear an opposing team down, and what we showed (during the 17-point surge), I think, was a sign of that.''
Clearfield coach Nate Glunt, whose team dropped to 1-3 overall and in the conference, was impressed by BG's talent and guard speed.
"BG is an excellent, well-coached team with guards who play so well together,'' Glunt said. "Their guards are absolutely fantastic. They move the ball so well, and BG also plays excellent defense.''
The Marauders led, 36-19 at halftime and carried the third quarter, 25-12, to take a 61-31 lead after three quarters and kick the mercy-rule clock into effect.
Junior guard Braison Patrick led Clearfield with 16 points, while another junior guard, Parker Collins, chipped in 11 for the Bison.
BG will play four games next week, beginning with a Monday night road game at Penns Valley.
"We're a deep offensive team,'' Lestochi said. "We had four players in double figures tonight, and we feel like we have a lot of different kids who can score on any given night.''
CLEARFIELD (46): Collins 4 0-2 11, Ev. Maines 2 1-2 6, Patrick 6 3-4 16, Kaskan 0 0-0 0, J. Rumfola 0 0-0 0, Lynch 1 0-0 3, E. Glunt 2 2-2 7, Broad 1 0-2 3. Totals -- 16 6-11 46.
BISHOP GUILFOYLE (72): Lestochi 1 0-0 3, Consiglio 7 3-4 19, Ruggery 2 1-2 7, Foor 6 0-0 14, C. Kissell 1 0-0 2, J. Kissell 4 2-3 10, Gates 1 0-0 2, G. Okonak 3 3-4 10, C. Okonak 1 0-0 2, Marasco 1 0-0 3, Nachtman 0 0-0 0, Reilly 0 0-0 0, Gioiosa 0 0-0 0. Totals -- 27 9-13 72.
SCORE BY QUARTERS
Clearfield 11 8 12 15 -- 46
Bishop Guilfoyle 19 17 25 11 -- 72
3-point goals: Clearfield 8 (Collins 3, Ev. Maines, Patrick, J. Rumfola, E. Glunt, Broad); Bishop Guilfoyle 9 (Consiglio 2, Ruggery 2, Foor 2, Lestochi, G. Okonak, Marasco).
Records: Clearfield (1-3 overall, 1-3 LHAC); Bishop Guilfoyle (2-0, 2-0).
Officials: Mike Andrews, Todd Parker, Tom Fountaine.
JV: Bishop Guilfoyle, 55-50. High scorers--Elijah Glunt, CLF, 19; Connor Okonak, BG, 18.