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Clover ladies fall to .500 after Clay City loss
CLAY CITY--Snowflakes and the temperature were not the only two things falling at the Eel Dome Monday night.
With Cloverdale looking to clog the paint, Clay City went over the top of the Clover defense to the tune of eight threes en route to a 58-36 win.
Cloverdale coach Matthew Langdon said the team started off with a solid plan but watched as Clay City's shooting forced the Clovers away from it.
"I think we came in with a game plan because they have some post players that, because of our height, we had to take away," Langdon said. "We took that away and their main post player (Alexis Price) only had two points in the first half.
"I thought in the first half, we played pretty well but they just caught fire. They had five threes in the first half, eight in the game and that put us in a bind defensively because when good teams start hitting shots, it's hard to stay with them."
Cloverdale was quick to help out on the inside against Clay City's far larger lineup, recording several early blocks and after trailing early, the Clovers scored a pair of baskets to tie the game at 6-6.
It was the bench that provided the firepower for the Eels as Alisha Steward came in to the game and hit back-to-back threes, giving the hosts a 12-8 lead after one quarter of play.
Threes continued to be Clay City's most potent weapon as Harley Sinders, Kyndall Boyll and Alyssa Yocom each knocked down a shot from beyond the arc to grow the four-point lead to 13 by halftime.
Having established a double-digit lead and the outside shot, Clay City forced Cloverdale into a higher-tempo game and capitalized by securing several steals and easy baskets
Clover senior Bailee Stevens scored six in the period to try and keep the visitors in contention but Boyll countered with nine as the Eels scored 21 points in the third to open up a 48-24 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
Both teams worked in the benches over the final few minutes as the hosts cruised to a 22-point win to move to 11-5 while Cloverdale fell to 7-7 on the season.
One of the more pressing concerns for the Clovers was the loss of Kimmy Winders early in the game and Stevens repeatedly stretching throughout the contest.
Langdon, though, saw some promise with different lineups out on the court.
"We went deeper into the bench tonight because of the fatigue and injuries," Langdon said. "In those moments, we played some good basketball.
"We went into some pressure and man-to-man that we had been working on over break. We did some good things in the second half but they stayed hot from outside and got some layups.
"It's definitely not we wanted, to come here and lose by 22," Langdon added. "I thought there were still some positives that we saw after a long break."
Cloverdale has two days to prepare for South Vermillion on Thursday and Langdon said there would be an emphasis on being more urgent during the game.
"We definitely need to have urgency in the next couple of days of practice," Langdon said. "We're .500 for the first time this year and we'll see how the girls respond when they come out Thursday.
"So far, in these 50-50 games, we've taken care of them. They've all been close, but when you're going into a game like this, it becomes about the little things.
"We've got to get to the foul line," Langdon added. "We're 0-7 when we shoot less than 10 free throws, so that's a big thing for us.
"We've done that in the fourth quarter during those close games to help pull those out. We've got to put the time in over the next two days to get back on track, have confidence to shoot when the shots are there and look to get that win on Thursday."
At Clay City
Cloverdale 8 6 10 12 -- 36
Clay City 12 15 21 10 -- 58
Scoring
Cloverdale -- Stevens 18, Worthington 7, Hamm 7, Walker 3, Meek 1, Pieper 0, Dorsett 0, Winders 0, Smith 0, Huge 0
Clay City -- Boyll 16, Price 11, Steward 9, Rodgers 6, Allender 4, Yocom 3, Sinders 3, Brown 3, Jeffers 2, Taney 1, Smith 0, Kittle 0, Everhart 0
Next Game: Cloverdale (7-7, 0-1 WCC) hosts South Vermillion (4-7) Thursday.