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Late rally spurs Clovers to 82-73 win
CLOVERDALE -- Being down by 12 in the final minutes was no big issue for the Cloverdale boys' basketball team on Tuesday.
Instead it only made them more resilient as a team, and they punished the Greenwood Christian Cougars with 26 points in the final three minutes to win 82-73.
A mid-week matchup is quiet on most nights, but this Tuesday was an exception. What looked like a sure Cougars' win turned quickly.
The Cougars (12-4, 4-1 Pioneer), a team that averages around 70 points per game, put the test on the Clovers (16-1, 5-0 WCC). They used quick play, aggression and mental tactics, which nearly threw Cloverdale off its mindset.
Greenwood Christian moved the ball very quickly and when it drove the middle, the Cloverdale defense had no stop. The Cougars had multiple layups and just when the Clovers made a run, the Cougars looked inside.
"That was one of the most offensive skilled teams we've played," Clover assistant coach Patrick Rady said. "I think it was because we didn't rotate well enough. That is something we have to practice on. Our transition defense was horrible."
Cloverdale would get four- to five-point leads, which were followed by quick Cougar runs. The most notable was toward the end of the game when Cloverdale had an eight-point lead.
The Clovers had a 45-37 lead when the Cougars went on a 24-10 run. Eventually, up nine, Greenwood Christian hit another three to go up by 12 with a little over three minutes left.
The lead prompted a Clovers' timeout and at this point they almost needed a miracle for the win. Greenwood Christian had all the momentum and its crowd was really into it.
The Clover coaches said for a Tuesday night game the crowds really showed up, praising Cloverdale as a real basketball community.
Cloverdale's players knew as well as anyone they had to score. Freshman phenom Cooper Neese hit three threes in the final minutes to provide big for his team. He and junior Branston Scott also shot technical free throws with 1:34 left in the game where they combined to go 3-of-4.
Scott also had two big buckets in the final minutes. Overall, he had a big game with 15 points and 16 rebounds.
Clover junior Marquise Moore also shined brightly, scoring seven of his 32 points in the final two minutes.
"We said, 'We can still win this thing,'" head coach Pat Rady said, "We came out in our press, a different one. We had to move the ball and get good shots. If we had the shot we had to take it. We hit them too."
The 26 Clover points in the last three minutes were the miracle they needed, turning the 12-point deficit into a nine-point victory.
"We persevered," Rady said. "When the defense wasn't there it was two offenses going at it. The defense was not a priority. Hopefully we learned our lesson and we can get back to practice."
Cloverdale's next game will be Feb.21 at Eminence.
At Cloverdale
Greenwood Christian 18 13 25 17 -- 73
Cloverdale 15 19 19 29 -- 82
Greenwood Christian (73): Peters 30, Booher 17, Stephenson 16, Z. Tyra 3, Brown 2, Bibson 2, Shingleton 2, Murray 1, Bastenburg 0, Thompson 0. Totals 28-58 9-12 73.
Cloverdale (82): Moore 32, Neese 23, Scott 15, Schoer 8, Collett 4, Hughes 0. Totals 27-59 16-20 82.
Reb(Off) GC 32(9), CHS 29(7). Assists GC 10, CHS 10. Blocks GC 0, CHS 2. Steals GC 9, CHS 11. Turnovers GC 17, CHS 20. 3-pt (M-ATT) GC 7-21, CHS 10-31.