Basketball Game Preview: Clarion Area Bobcats vs. Cranberry Area Berries

Clarion Area has gone 10-0 against Cranberry Area recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Wednesday. The Clarion Area Bobcats will face off against the Cranberry Area Berries at 7:15 p.m. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, both will really light up the scoreboard.

Clarion Area is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They were just a bucket shy of victory on Monday and fell 70-69 to Karns City. The Bobcats have been going strong on the season, but this is now their second defeat in a row.

Despite the loss, Clarion Area had strong showings from Mason Burford, who posted 22 points and six boards, and Dylan Smail, who scored 16 points and five rebounds. Those 22 points gave Burford a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Derek Smail, who put up eight points and five rebounds.

Even though they lost, Clarion Area smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 16 offensive boards. That's the most offensive rebounds they've managed all season.

Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Cranberry Area, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Friday. They managed a 67-63 victory over Keystone on Monday.

Cranberry Area's win was their seventh straight at home, which pushed their record up to 13-5. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 72.6 points per game. As for Clarion Area, their defeat was their first in the conference, dropping their conference record down to 6-1 and their overall record down to 13-5.

Everything came up roses for Clarion Area against Cranberry Area in their previous matchup back in February of 2024, as the team secured a 74-33 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for Clarion Area since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.