Cloverdale tops Cascade easily

Saturday, January 17, 2015
Cloverdale senior Tyler Lotz ended the game with seven rebounds. (Banner Graphic/TRENT SCOTT)

CLOVERDALE--Hot on the heels of its fourth win in-a-row, the Cloverdale boys' basketball team looked to extend the streak to five and pick up a second WCC win when Cascade came calling Friday night.

The Clovers swarmed the Cadets early, utilizing an aggressive press to force 24 turnovers and rout the visitors 75-32.

Cloverdale head coach Pat Rady wanted the team to play aggressive and got that from the players.

K.J. Colman, of Cloverdale gets a good look at the basket. (Banner Graphic/TRENT SCOTT)

"We wanted to be aggressive on offense and defense tonight," Rady said. "We wanted to see how Cascade would handle the press.

"Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't but tonight, I thought we had some active hands and movement. I thought we had some great anticipation tonight."

Marquise Moore started the game with a three and never let up for the rest of the game, knocking down 6-of-7 from beyond the arc, including a second three near the end of the quarter to cap off a 23-point first quarter that saw Cloverdale lead 23-9 by the en-of the period.

Rady said a quick start to the game helped relax the team in a physical conference contest.

"If you've got a lead, you play relaxed and the ball is going to go in more," Rady said. "When the ball is going through the hole, it hides a multitude of sins, as they say in basketball.

"We shot extremely well, got the ball to the open man and he had good shots. When you move the ball and cut hard, you create havoc on offense and the guys doesn't want to guard you."

An odd stretch of play ensued near the end of the first quarter as KJ Coleman and Branston Scott were forced to depart the game as blood appeared on their jerseys. Tyler Lotz and Brayden White stepped into the void and, as Rady noted, kept the offensive machine clicking right along.

"Brayden and Tyler came in and really played well in the second quarter," Rady pointed out. "They kept the pace going by rebounding and playing defense very well."

After Cascade hit a three to start the quarter, Cloverdale scored the next 15 points as Moore and Cooper Neese picked apart a ragged Cadet defense, helping the Clovers to a 41-16 halftime lead.

The visitors started better in the third quarter, holding an early 7-5 edge before Jalen Moore knocked down a three, followed by triples from Neese and Marquise Moore as part of a 13-0 run to close the quarter.

Leading 59-23 heading into the fourth quarter, Marquise Moore capped off his 31-point evening with a four-point play that signaled the exit for the starters and saw the reserves play out the final five minutes of the Clovers' fifth-straight win.

Despite the game being in hand, Rady said the team needed to continue to work on the defensive end to be more effective later in the season.

"We wanted to press for four minutes of the third quarter because we feel down the road, that has got to be part of our defense," Rady said. "We have to work on that as well as our zones.

"They have a couple of kids who can shoot the ball and I thought we reacted well to get on their shooters. It was a good team win and we had a great, supportive crowd tonight that's developed into a sixth man for us."

Cloverdale's quest for a sixth-straight win takes them to Clay City Saturday night as the Clovers face the Class A No. 9 Eels.

Rady said the team had to be mentally and physical ready for a battle.

"We've got to be ready to play because we're the underdogs tomorrow night," Rady said. "They're a very talented team that play extremely well at home.

"It's a big challenge and we've had a tough week with two games already. This will give us an idea of where we're at a month before the sectional."


At Cloverdale

Cascade 9 7 7 9 -- 32

Cloverdale 23 18 18 16 -- 75

Statistics

Scoring

Cascade -- 12-38 FG, 2-15 3-FG, 6-8 FT -- Butler 10, Hostetler 6, Stephenson 5, Hart 5, Burch 3, DuBois 2, Guerendo 1, Gates 0, Compliment 0, Morris 0, Parsons 0

Cloverdale -- 25-54 FG, 12-22 3-FG, 13-22 FT -- M. Moore 31, Neese 21, Coleman 7, Scott 6, J. Moore 5, Hall 2, Heavener 2, White 1, Lotz 0, Pfaff 0, Duff 0, Winders 0

Rebounding (Offensive)

Cascade 19 (5); Cloverdale 26 (8)

Assists

Cascade 3; Cloverdale 15

Steals

Cascade 4; Cloverdale 11

Blocks

Cascade 1; Cloverdale 2

Turnovers

Cascade 24; Cloverdale 15

Fouls

Cascade 19; Cloverdale 16

Next Game: Cloverdale (11-4, 2-0 WCC) travels to Clay City Saturday night.

Respond to this story

Posting a comment requires free registration: