Cloverdale girls survive late scare from South Putnam

Saturday, February 1, 2014
With South Putnam players only able to watch as their frantic comeback bid slips away, Cloverdale's Laura Worthington (10) drains a layup in the closing seconds Friday. The junior completed the three-point play to send Cloverdale to a 53-46 win. (Banner Graphic/TRENT SCOTT)

The first win in nearly a month was practically in the bag for Cloverdale's girls' basketball squad with five minutes to go and a 20-point lead over South Putnam.

And yet it took nerves of steel and a late three-point play by Laura Worthington for the Clovers to relax after the Eagles cut a 44-24 deficit down to three before the hosts finally emerged 53-46 winners.

The final, nerve-shredding minutes overshadowed an impressive first three quarters of play, according to Cloverdale coach Matthew Langdon.

"I thought we did a lot of things well that we worked on this week," Langdon said. "We mixed up our defenses, we added pressure and we changed our substitution pattern so that the girls were fresh in the second and third quarters.

"For three quarters, we played some of the best basketball we've played all year."

South Putnam coach Bill Merkel said mistakes and fouls hindered the Eagles.

"We thought we'd match up well with them in a man-to-man defense but they hurt us with penetration and that was my fault," Merkel said. "When we changed the tempo, we did it doing things we normally do.

"We had way too many fouls in the game and that ended up being the difference. They are a good shooting team and we said this week we couldn't put them on the line."

The Clovers burst out of the gate to an 18-3 start that staggered South Putnam into committing numerous fouls and turnovers, further hampering the visitors' efforts.

Cloverdale's lead ballooned from 12 after one quarter to 16 at halftime and 21 by the end of the third quarter.

Seemingly out of sight as the fourth quarter began, a three-pointer by Aubrey Nichols, a put-back by Amanda Barnes and a three by Olivia Arnold cut the Clover lead back down to 12.

Finally gaining some confidence, South Putnam cranked the pressure as high as it could and forced Cloverdale into many of the same mistakes the hosts had forced earlier in the contest.

Fouls quickly piled up against the Eagles, but Bailee Stevens only knocked down four of the 10 foul shots she attempted, allowing the visitors to continue chipping away at the lead.

A pair of Barnes free throws, a steal and a Nichols basket finally cut the lead to three as the visitors threatened to tie the game.

With a chance to cut the lead to one, Nichols missed a jumper and Stevens hit one of two from the line. In the following sequence, Stevens stole the ball and fed Worthington for what ended up being the icing three-point play.

Langdon chalked up the final few minutes to a squad that hadn't been used to having such a large lead.

"This is the first time the girls have had a 15-20 point lead," Langdon said. "The last two weeks, we've had leads going into the fourth quarter. When you can learn and still win, it's a good night.

"When a team hasn't won in a month, though, these kinds of things can happen. One bad possession, a score for them and things started snowballing, making the game closer than it should have been."

Merkel praised his team for continuing to plug away, but said a better start would help the team keep the team from digging such a deep hole.

"The girls hung in there, though, and got us back into the ballgame," Merkel said. "We cut the lead down to three and I think we had them worried.

"I was pleased with the effort but we've got to come out in the first quarter ready to play."

Both Cloverdale and South Putnam will play Clay City next, with the Clovers hosting the Eels Saturday and the Eagles hosting next Tuesday.

With weather still in question over the next few days, both coaches had a wait-and-see approach in mind but also a desire to keep certain parts of Friday night's game going.

"I think we match up personnel-wise pretty well with Clay City," Merkel said. "They shoot a little better from outside than we do. I just hope we can get them in with the weather coming in.

"If not, we have North Putnam on Friday and South Vermillion on Saturday. It's been a hectic winter for everyone, we've battled for consistency and hopefully we can continue that next week."

Langdon hopes to keep the momentum gained from sneaking out of Friday night with a win.

"We know, in the locker room, that was a game we needed to finish and didn't but we're excited that we won," Langdon said. "We need to take the energy and enthusiasm right into tomorrow for all 32 minutes.

"We're proud of the girls. To go a month without a win and do the things they did tonight that put us in a position to win is what we'll take from tonight."



At Cloverdale
South Putnam 8 6 7 25 -- 46
Cloverdale 20 10 12 11 -- 53
South Putnam:
Barnes 12, Nichols 11, Dobson 8, Lady 6, Hewitt 4, Arnold 3, Higgins 2, Modglin 0, Erickson 0; Totals: 18-68 FG, 4-17 3-FG, 6-13 FT
Cloverdale:
Stevens 16, Worthington 12, Clark 10, M. Helterbrand 7, Hamm 6, Winders 2, Dorsett 0; Totals: 16-47 FG; 6-15 3-FG, 15-35 FT
Rebound (Off):
SP 41 (22), CHS 28 (8); Assists: S 12, CHS 8; Steals: SP 14, CHS 9; Blocks: SP 0, CHS 2; Turnovers: SP 30, CHS 28; Fouls: SP 27, CHS 13
Next Game: Cloverdale (5-12, 1-4 WCC) hosts Clay City Saturday while South Putnam (3-13, 0-4 WCC) hosts the Eels next Tuesday.

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