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Cloverdale beats South Putnam in first round of IHSAA tourney
SPEEDWAY -- The Speedway sectional pitted two Putnam County rivals against each other when Cloverdale took on South Putnam Wednesday night in a rematch of the late-January Cloverdale win.
Though the Eagles showed their heart and hustle, Cloverdale won easily 79-32. With the win, Cloverdale will next play Covenant Christian, a team the Clovers beat by a narrow margin in January.
"I'm really excited," CHS senior Brantson Scott said. "We had a really good week of practice and we were well prepared. We are really starting to play as a team well. I'm looking forward to continuing our season."
Cloverdale took control early and matched the hustle plays of the Eagles all game.
Senior Marquise Moore was his usual self, scoring eight first-quarter points. Sophomore Cooper Neese made two of his four threes in the first and sophomore Duke Duff added a pair of threes.
The points were hard to come by for South Putnam but that didn't deter the Eagles. They continued working to get the ball inside and attempt good shots.
Eagle senior Chad Menke scored eight of his 10 points in the first half, junior Trevor Long netted six and senior Jacob Schroer maneuvered his way through the disruptive Clover defense for seven points.
"I've got a really good group of kids," Eagle coach Greg Dean said. "At the end of the year, no matter what your record is it's tough because you develop relationships with these kids through the year. As a coach you just love being around these kids."
The Cloverdale defense was just too much for South Putnam to handle. When Marquise and Jalen Moore weren't causing chaos in the full-court press, Neese was racking up steals in the front court. Neese had five steals, Marquise had four steals, Jalen had two and most of those led to fast-break opportunities.
"I feel like we are ready for the next game," Cloverdale senior K.J. Coleman. "I feel like we are going to attack more with Covenant. I feel it's going to be a faster game, not so much half-court but more of a full-court game."
Coleman finished with 10 and Scott had six. The leading CHS scorers were Neese, Marquise Moore, and Jalen Moore with 18, 17 and 13 respectively.
"We just have to keep sharing the ball and sharing the wealth," Scott said. "The ball has to have eyes and we are going to have to keep up our chaos defense."
Clover coach Pat Rady expects another good game when his team plays the Warriors.
"Covenant Christian is a fine ball club," Rady said. "We had a tough game with them during the season. They had a nine-point lead on us going onto the final quarter. They are very capable. They're like us, strong defensively with a very balanced offensive game. They've got an inside game with some great three-point shooters."
Despite the loss, Eagle coach Dean said he'll be rooting for Cloverdale in the tournament.
"They've got a tremendously high ceiling and they've got an opportunity to do something in this tournament," Dean said. "So as a fan of Putnam County basketball it would be nice to see them go on. But I'm really proud of my kids with the way they've battled all year long."
Even though he only had a limited time with the Eagle seniors, he appreciates the work that they have put in to help the South Putnam program.
"I told them I wish I had another year with them," Dean said. "I came in at the tail end of their high school careers and I enjoyed being a part of it. I'm glad they got to help us lay the groundwork for this program. They are all good kids and they'll be successful. I'm anxious to see what they can accomplish in their lives."
IHSAA Sectional 44
At Speedway
Cloverdale 27 19 21 12 --79
South Putnam 8 7 6 11 --32
Individual Scoring
Cloverdale 31-50 5-7 (Neese 6-10 2-2 18, M. Moore 8-12 0-1 17, J. Moore 5-6 13, Coleman 4-7 1-2 10, Scott 3-4 6, Duff 2-3 6, Winders 2-4 5, Heavener 0-4, 2-2 2) South Putnam 13-39 6-8 (Menke 4-9 2-2 10, Schoer 3-6, 1-2 7, Long 3-8 6, Stewart 1-3 1-2 3, Freeman 1-2 2, Carmichael 0-4, 2-2 2, Clearwater 1-1 2)
Team Stats
3-point shots: Cloverdale 12-21 (Neese 4-5, J. Moore 3-4, Duff 2-3, M.Moore 1-2, Winders 1-2, Coleman 1-2) South Putnam 0-5 Rebounds: Cloverdale 26 (M. Moore 6, Neese 4, Lotz 4, White 3, Pfaff 2, Scott 2, Hall 2, Coleman 1, J. Moore 1, Winders 1) South Putnam 18 (Menke 10, Long 3, Stewart 2, Schroer 1, Freeman 1, McHugh 1) Assists: Cloverdale 10 (M. Moore 5, Neese 1, Coleman 1, Scott 1, J. Moore 1, Heavener 1) South Putnam 2 (McHugh 1, Long 1) Steals: Cloverdale 16 (Neese 5, M. Moore 4, j. Moore 2, Scott 2, Coleman 1, Lotz 1, Hall 1) Blocks: Cloverdale 3 (Coleman 3) South Putnam 2 (Menke 2)