Cloverdale rolls past Southmont

Cloverdale senior Kedrick Collett puts in two of his four points in traffic Thursday. (Banner Graphic/JARED JERNAGAN)

CLOVERALE -- Cloverdale's dominant season continued Thursday as the host Clovers rode a sizzling hot first half to a 69-39 win over Southmont and moved their record to 15-1 for the season.

The numbers the Clovers put up in the first half rival a complete game by most other squads. Cloverdale put up 49 points, shot more than 50 percent from the floor, including 40 percent from three-point range and showed a cohesion every coach likes to see late in the season.

"We wanted to get off to a good start and I thought we played both ends of the floor real well," coach Pat Rady said. "I thought our defense was good. On offense, the ball had eyes -- it moved and people had great shots. Our trap and the pressure we put on them forced them into some turnovers and not play the way they wanted to play."

Freshman Cooper Neese paced the Clovers in the first half, posting 20 points. Junior Marquise Moore also scored in double figures, tallying 11 points in the opening 16 minutes.

In all, Cloverdale had six players score and held a 49-18 edge at the break.

In the second half, Cloverdale's offense slowed, as the team found the iron to not be as friendly as it was in the first half. The team also decided to work on different aspects of its game.

"In the second half we had some good shots and some good looks, but they didn't fall," Rady said. "We wanted to work on a little bit of our delay game, so we did that. We wanted to take some time off of the clock.

"We experimented and did some things in the second half because sometimes you have to get those things in."

Despite scoring 69 points in the contest, the Clovers attempted just four free throws in the game, converting on three of those. Their first toss from the charity stripe in the second half came with three seconds remaining, when Brandon Hughes knocked down the front end of a two-shot trip to the line.

The Clovers' effort on Thursday was impressive, but equally impressive was the turnout of the Cloverdale fan base. For a weeknight game, the parking lot a full, the stands were loud and their team gave them more than enough to cheer about.

Rady commended the fans and student body for their support Thursday and all season long.

Neese finished the night with 25 points, followed by Moore with 19. Brantson Scott and Kade Schroer chipped in eight points each, with Kedrick Collett and Fred Fislar adding four each and Hughes adding one point.

The Clovers hit the court again Saturday when they host Rockville (11-8) at 7:30 p.m.

At Cloverdale
Southmont 7 11 9 12 -- 39
Cloverdale 30 19 14 6 -- 69
Southmont -- Todd 11, Benge 8, #33 8, Burton 3, Remley 2, Jent 2, Whalen 2, Dehne 3. Totals: 18-46 FG, 2-8 FT, 39 TP.
Cloverdale -- Neese 25, Moore 19, Scott 8, Schroer 8, Collett 4, Fisler 4, Hughes 1. Totals: 28-49 FG, 3-4 FT, 69 TP.
3-pt FG: Sm 1-15, CHS 12-28. Rebounds(Off): Sm 39(13), CHS 22(6). Assists: Sm 7, CHS 14. Steals: Sm 1, CHS 9. Blocks: Sm 0, CHS 2. Turnovers: Sm 19, CHS 6. Fouls: Sm 10, CHS 10.