Boys basketball: Kotter keys comeback, professional Clearfield tops Roy 45-44
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- Clearfield guard Peyton Kotter (4) drives the basketball against Roy on Friday, Dec. 9, 2022, in Clearfield.
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- Roy forward Elijah Sowards (22) shoots against a Clearfield defender on Friday, Dec. 9, 2022, in Clearfield.
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- Clearfield’s Peyton Kotter, rear, and Roy’s Bronson Belnap (3) dive for a loose ball on Friday, Dec. 9, 2022, in Clearfield.
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- Clearfield forward Austin Mitchell (21) squares up against Roy’s Beau Belnap (14) on Friday, Dec. 9, 2022, in Clearfield.
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- Roy guard Beau Belnap passes the ball against Clearfield on Friday, Dec. 9, 2022, in Clearfield.
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- Clearfield’s Trace Hansen, right, rises to shoot as Roy’s Bronson Belnap looks on in a game Friday, Dec. 9, 2022, in Clearfield.
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- Roy guard Corben Schuffenhauer handles the ball against Clearfield on Friday, Dec. 9, 2022, in Clearfield.
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- Clearfield High students cheer during a boys basketball game against Roy on Friday, Dec. 9, 2022, in Clearfield.
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- Clearfield guard Lincoln Church (23) advances the ball as Roy’s Corben Schuffenhauer (2) keeps pace on Friday, Dec. 9, 2022, in Clearfield.
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- Roy’s Bronson Belnap (3) and Clearfield’s Peyton Kotter (4) reach for the basketball in a game Friday, Dec. 9, 2022, in Clearfield.
CLEARFIELD — Maybe the first thing someone would notice about the Clearfield High boys basketball bench is that all of the assistant coaches were dressed in long-sleeve white shirts and dark ties with the exception of Angela Levi, who wore a white blouse, and first-time head coach Scott McLaughlin, sporting a natty green jacket over his shirt and tie.
This professional approach has filtered down to the Falcons, now 3-1 this season after a 45-44, come-from-behind, non-region victory over Roy High on Friday night.
“We’ll do the polos on the road, but at home this how we’re going to be dressing,” McLaughlin said. “I think it looks really good; it makes us have the presence that we need to be for the boys. How you present yourself matters. We have some expectations not only for the players but for ourselves.”
Roy led by eight early in the fourth quarter but junior forward Peyton Kotter scored 11 points in Clearfield’s fourth-quarter comeback. That came on a wide variety of shots, including four free throws, an inside layup, a drive and a 3-pointer.
Kotter finished with 17 points and Lincoln Church scored nine on a trio of 3-pointers to lead the Falcon attack.
McLaughlin turned away the Standard-Examiner when it came to speaking to Kotter about his performance.
Clearfield only won four games all last year, and just one the year before, so the Falcons are on track for one of their best seasons in a long time.
“We haven’t addressed (the past). I’m just here coaching and approaching it the way I want to. All I’ve really done is just bring in who I am as a coach,” McLaughlin said. “It’s about growth. I’m just looking at the areas we need to grow in and working on those things.
“We have principles that we follow and if we do that, it will lead to good things; whether we win or lose a game, we’re going to be building the players.”
On the court, Clearfield and Roy were tied at 24 after two quarters, then the Falcons went blank for 7 1/2 minutes while the Royals built a 33-24 lead. Church hit a 3-pointer with 26 seconds left in the third period, closing the gap to 33-27.
“I wasn’t worried about it; I thought things were looking fine, so I didn’t react to it,” McLaughlin said. “We just approached the fourth quarter that we just need to play our game. We didn’t address the score, just played.”
The Falcons trailed 35-27 early in the fourth quarter after a rebound basket by Roy’s Elijah Sowards, but Kotter and company went on an 18-6 run the next 7:29 of the frame to pull out the win.
Corben Schuffenhauer splashed in a 3-pointer, beating the buzzer for Roy, shrinking a 45-41 score to the final margin.
“It was all defensive plays; they understood what needed to be done and they went out there and made plays. That’s really what happened,” McLaughlin said.
Both teams were red-hot out of the gate, totaling eight 3-pointers in the first quarter as Roy led 15-14 after one.
The first half was close throughout. Roy (1-3) led all but the final 30 seconds of the second quarter before Chase McNeill scored on a rebound basket giving the Falcons their only lead, 24-23. Sowards made a free throw with one second left to tie it at the half.
Beau Belnap netted 13 points for the Royals, including four 3s. Sowards also had 13 points, his fourth straight game scoring double digits.
