Clovers improvements not yet enough in loss at Union 40-31

Cloverdale junior Bailee Stevens takes the ball to the basket during Thursday's game at Union. Stevens had nine points in the loss. (Banner Graphic/TRENT SCOTT)

DUGGER -- After a slow start in its opener against Tri-West Tuesday, Cloverdale's girls' basketball squad was looking for a better start against Union (Dugger) on Thursday night.

Another slow start against the Bulldogs, however, left the visitors in a hole that a strong second half could not overcome as the Clovers fell 40-31.

Cloverdale head coach Matthew Langdon said that the inability to put pressure on Union hampered the offense as much as it the Bulldogs' defense.

"We know we'll struggle at times to put scores on the board," Langdon said. "The hope was we could apply pressure in the full court and get some layups. We just didn't get the turnovers."

Neither team started the first quarter well. While the Clovers struggled to get good looks, the visitors made life for Union difficult with a full court press that disrupted the Bulldog offense.

Cloverdale only trailed 8-4 after one quarter of play but a scoring drought in the second quarter that lasted six minutes allowed Union to mount a 12-0 run, extending the lead to 20-4.

Taylor Clark and Laura Worthington scored on consecutive possessions to get the Clovers on the board in the period but the break saw the visitors trailing 24-9.

After the halftime interval, Cloverdale finally got shots up and scored all 11 of its third-quarter points before reply, cutting the halftime deficit in half at 27-20 entering the final period.

Langdon said that the difference between the first half and the second revolved around finding a defense that not only kept Union in check but got Cloverdale moving in transition.

"We kept trying different defenses, looking to create pressure and turnovers," Langdon said. "Union has a good ball handler and we tried doubling her and jumping the first pass.

"We started to relax a little bit and got some steals and points. We just dug ourselves such a large hole that we didn't have a chance to get back in the game.

"Most of our points came in transition," Langdon added. "We feed off our defense. That's where we're built and if we can't force turnovers, then we tend to struggle."

A slow start to the final frame, however, dented any chance of a comeback as Union found a way to deal with the visitor's half court press, leading to a 40-31 win.

Cloverdale did not leave physically unscathed as they lost Haley Hamm to injury in a similar fashion to the prior season midway through the period.

It made for a frustrating night of play but even with Owen Valley on the horizon next Monday, Langdon said the focus had to be on the team and not others.

"At this point in the season, with what we've seen so far, we need to focus on ourselves," Langdon said. "We'll look at the basics, our individual skills and not worry about game planning.

"Until we don't fix some of the things we don't do well, we don't need to worry about other teams."

At Union (Dugger)
Cloverdale......4 5 11 11 -- 31
Union............8 16 3 13 -- 40