Cloverdale lets lead, game slip away

CLOVERDALE -- One of the most heart-breaking things to happen in a game in any sport is when your team enjoys a comfortable lead when it's half over and then watch that lead slowly dwindle to the point where the other team ends up winning. That is precisely what happened to the Cloverdale girl's basketball team when they dropped a 44-40 decision to South Vermillion Saturday evening and ran their record to 2-12.

In the first two quarters of the game the Clovers outscored the Lady Cats 21-15. Kristin McCammon gave the Clovers the first two points of the game. After a bucket by South Vermillion's Jalen Brower, Cloverdale's Ashley McCallie scored, McCammon scored twice, one basket of which was a three-pointer, and Allie Franklin made a free throw.

During that stretch of 2:44, the only two points for the Lady Cats came from two free throws by Desiree Thomas and Allie Milam. After McCammon's three pointer, Milam gave the Lady Cats one of their own with 3:29 left to play in the first quarter. After two free throws by McCammon and a basket by South Vermillion's Kenzi Cheesewright, the first quarter was over, with Cloverdale leading 12-9.

Cloverdale kept it up in the second quarter. Franklin scored first, but then two free throws by Milam and a bucket from Brower gave the Lady Cats four points, making the score 14-13, less than four minutes into the second quarter. The Clovers were able to keep ahead with a basket and two free throws from McCammon before Milam scored for South Vermillion again. Cloverdale's Holly McCammon scored the last basket of the quarter making the score 21-15 in favor of the Clovers at halftime.

Things did not go as well for the Clovers in the second half as the Lady Cats outscored them 29-19. Franklin did score first in the third quarter and then Kristin McCammon would score a three pointer 98 seconds into the quarter. But the Clovers would not score again, except for a free throw from Franklin, until there was 20.1 left to play: at that point McCammon scored another three pointer. From 7:02-20.1 the Lady Cats scored 13 points. The score was tied 30-30 after three quarters.

Cloverdale scored the first seven points of the fourth quarter with two buckets by Kayla Shepherd and another three pointer from McCammon. Cloverdale would not score again, however, until there was only 15.8 left to play. In the meantime South Vermillion put up 14 points to win the game.

"We missed some free throws down the stretch and we didn't rebound well," said Cloverdale head coach James Wade. "In a tight ball game you've got to come up with those rebounds and we didn't. I think we played good team defense . . . but we had few minutes in the third quarter and a few minutes in the fourth quarter that really hurt us. We gave up 19 offensive rebounds and it's going to be hard to win any game giving up 19 rebounds especially in a close one. "

The Clovers JV squad dropped a 41-33 decision to the Lady Cats in double overtime.

The Clovers will travel to Rockville Tuesday at 6 p.m. to take on the Rox.

At Cloverdale

Cloverdale 12 9 9 10 -- 40

South Vermillion 9 6 15 14 -- 44

Cloverdale -- K. McCammon 21, McCallie 5, Franklin 8, H. McCammon 2, Shepherd 4

South Vermillion -- Brower 11, Thomas 3, Milam 16, Cheesewright 4, Kelly 2, Samuelson 8,