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Clover boys' basketball opens season with loss
Expectations for the Class 2A No. 5 Cloverdale boys' basketball team were sky-high entering their season and home opener against North Central (Farmersburg) Tuesday night.
The hosts came up short, though, falling to the unranked Thunderbirds, 69-58.
"You can't panic after a win or after a loss," Pat Rady said. "This is the first game of the season and we've got a lot to go.
"We've got to be concerned about what we do and execute a little better and we'll be okay."
The hosts came storming out of the gates, building a quick 13-2 lead before a chain of events set up North Central for a big rally.
New addition KJ Coleman left the game late in the first quarter with an injury and did not return, while Marquise Moore picked up a second foul in the waning seconds of the frame and remained on the bench for the rest of the half.
The Thunderbirds quickly got into an offensive rhythm and, after trading the lead a couple of times, the visitors snared the lead at 29-28 and would never trail again, finishing the quarter on a 11-2 run to hold a 40-30 lead at halftime.
Losing two starters at the end of the first quarter was a major blow according to Rady.
"You still win as a team and lose as a team but when you have two starters go out, no matter who you are, it's going to affect you and be a factor," Rady said. "We've got to realize those things happen and realize it's not the end of the world.
"We had guys in there who've not worked together much so we realize that we have to get the guys on the bench ready because you never know when the bell is going to ring for them."
Cloverdale rallied to start the second half, closing to within two at 42-40 but did not score for the rest of the third quarter, allowing North Central to build a nine-point lead entering the final quarter.
The hosts briefly closed the scores to 56-50 midway through the fourth quarter but five points on back-to-back trips by the Thunderbirds put the game beyond doubt as the Clovers crashed to an opening-night defeat.
With the Thanksgiving break approaching before a trip to Riverton Parke on Saturday, Rady said the team would get back to work at practice and prepare for a long slog of road games.
"We've got to have good practices Wednesday and Friday and be ready to play," Rady said. "Two of our first 10 games are on the road, so we're going to have to get used to playing on away from home.
"North Central showed us some weaknesses we have tonight and we have to understand as we get prepared for the next game. This game is over; you see the mistakes, what you can do to get better and we go from there."
At Cloverdale
North Central 12 28 11 18 -- 69
Cloverdale 17 13 12 16 -- 58
Scoring
Cloverdale -- 22-49 FG, 5-22 3-FG, 9-13 FT -- Neese 21, Scott 17, M. Moore 6, Coleman 6, J. Moore 4, Fislar 3, Duff 1, Lotz 0
Rebounding (Offense)
North Central 17 (6); Cloverdale 25 (11)
Assists
North Central 10; Cloverdale 7
Steals
North Central 7; Cloverdale 5
Blocks
North Central 0; Cloverdale 2
Turnovers
North Central 14; Cloverdale 20
Fouls
North Central 17; Cloverdale 16
Next Game: Cloverdale (0-1) travels to Riverton Parke Saturday.