Girls basketball: Growing together, Clearfield stifles Brighton’s top scorer in rout
GBB final: Clearfield 52, Brighton 30
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- Clearfield High’s Izzy Wyaskett, right, drives against Brighton’s Izzie Ngo on Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025, in Clearfield.
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- Clearfield High’s Ciara De La O looks to score against Brighton on Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025, in Clearfield.
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- Clearfield High’s Destini Gomez (3) rises to shoot over Brighton’s Sophie Nielsen (4) on Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025, in Clearfield.
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- Clearfield High’s Amoree Scholer (24) on Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025, in Clearfield.
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- Clearfield High’s McKinlee Philpott (33) surveys the floor against Brighton’s Kira Amevor (55) on Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025, in Clearfield.
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- Clearfield High guard Izzy Wyaskett (11) drives the ball against Brighton on Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025, in Clearfield.
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- Clearfield High’s Amoree Scholer (24) rises to shoot against Brighton’s Izzie Ngo on Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025, in Clearfield.
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- Girls basketball players on Clearfield High’s bench cheer during a game Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025, in Clearfield.
CLEARFIELD — Six.
That was the number of points Brighton guard Sophie Nielsen scored against Clearfield on Wednesday night.
When you consider Nielsen averages 27 points per game and Brighton as a team scores 46, defense became priority No. 1 for the Falcons if they were to hold the Bengals at bay.
In a contrast of styles, Clearfield had 11 players get into the scorebook and used a balanced offensive attack to beat Brighton 52-30 in a nonregion rout.
“We put a junk defense on their best player (Nielsen) to make it hard for her. We held her to six, so that was the plan,” Clearfield coach JT Soter said. “Obviously, she’s a great player. She was not going to beat us tonight.
“We put a box-and-one on her and had four different players shadow her: Jayla Kearns, Brighton Bernards, Destini Gomez and Abbie Thayne,” Soter said.
On the offensive side, Clearfield has a similar star in double-digit scorer Izzy Wyaskett but, when she got in early foul trouble, the Falcons turned to a bird of a different feather with Ciara De La O netting 12 points and Bernards adding nine.
“If we have foul trouble, we have foul trouble; the whole team has to … make our shots and come together. It’s more of a team effort, communicating on and off the court,” De La O said. “Our bench hypes us great. I’m trying to step up. Everything is not just about one player; it’s more of a team sport. We all played as a team today.”
Team-talk aside, Soter had high praise for De La O, who filled in admirably with Wyaskett on the bench for most of the second half.
“She’s the reason people can’t face-guard Izzy, because we have other people shooting well and Ciara is a big part of that,” Soter said. “She’s been more efficient, been more patient offensively. She’s a high percentage shooter right now … become a really good leader on our team.”
Wyaskett still managed 10 points, Gomez scored six off the bench and Kearns had five.
Clearfield (3-1) opened strong in the first quarter, leading Brighton 20-9 after eight minutes.
“This year, we’re starting out pretty fast. Izzy was driving, making some baskets,” Soter said. “Defensively, our box-and-one got some turnovers in the half-court. Offensively, we ran a zone, motion and were hitting our shots.”
The Falcons won a sluggish second stanza 7-3, taking a 27-12 lead at the break.
Wyaskett picked up her third foul at the 7:16 mark of the third period and was relegated to the bench.
“In the third, it got chippy and the officials were tightening it up,” Soter said. “We sent them to the foul line a ton. We need to play cleaner defense.”
Brighton (1-3) outpaced the Falcons 12-11 in the third quarter, but Clearfield still led comfortably, 38-24, as other players rallied to the cause.
With Wyaskett back on the court to open the fourth frame, Clearfield went on an 11-0 run (in which Kearns scored all five of her points) had the Bengals doubled up 49-24 midway through the quarter.
“Izzy kind of makes everything go. Sometimes we get a little stagnant on offense when she’s not in,” Soter said. “She came back at the start of the fourth quarter and we started rolling. … Turnovers led to easy baskets at the other end.”
Even with the stellar defensive performance Wednesday, Soter saw room for improvement.
“We were pretty sloppy on defense. We fouled a ton tonight and sent them to the line a lot. But we were aggressive. I’ll take aggressive; take the fouls,” Soter said.
De La O splashed a pair of 3-pointers and three traditional buckets for her even dozen points and has matured early into her junior year.
“I’m seeing the court, visualizing the next play that’s the smart thing to do; seeing if it’s the right play, then play good defense,” De La O said. “I’m very confident now. Last year was a bit of a struggle, but his year I’ve stepped up and I’m ready to win a championship.”
MTN CREST 67, BOX ELDER 54
BRIGHAM CITY — Ava Miles scored 17 points on three 3-pointers but Box Elder fell behind Mountain Crest 35-23 at halftime and couldn’t make up the difference in a home loss Wednesday.
Marley Barber scored 12 points and Emma Nelson added eight for the Bees (1-3).
BOYS BASKETBALL
SYRACUSE 83, EAST 77
SYRACUSE — Syracuse scored 54 points in the second half to defeat East at home on Wednesday.
Skyler Orton totaled 28 points, six rebounds, four assists, two blocks and two steals for Syracuse (2-1). Colton Hoenigman racked up 22 points, 13 rebounds and four assists. Carter Robinson added 10 points.
LAYTON CHRISTIAN 64, PLEASANT GROVE 52
PLEASANT GROVE — Omar Mowafak scored 19 points and Layton Christian defeated Pleasant Grove in the PG-hosted 5 For The Fight event.
Gabe Sularski scored 16 points and Bovo Aguebor added 10 for LCA (3-0).
Sports editor Brett Hein contributed to score reports.
