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Boys’ sectionals reach semifinal round
Tonight’s semifinal round of the Class 2A South Putnam Sectional features the host Eagles trying to reverse an earlier loss to Monrovia in the opener and a matchup between two teams in the nightcap (Cloverdale and North Putnam) who each scored 100 points in their last game.
On Jan. 18, the Bulldogs visited South Putnam and got a tough battle from the hosts. Monrovia led 13-8 after one quarter, 25-16 at halftime and 39-28 after three quarters before breaking the game open with a 13-3 difference in the final period.
Senior guard Luke Smith is the state’s 59th leading scorer at 19.7 points per game, but is hardly the only scoring threat for the 15-9 Bulldogs. Luke Seber, a 6-foot-6 senior, averages 11.8 points and 6.3 rebounds while 6-foot-7 sophomore Max Newman adds 10.8 points and 10.2 rebounds per game.
The Bulldogs are deep and play a lot of people, and South Putnam coach Greg Dean knows his team will be outsized.
“Monrovia presents a matchup problem for a lot of teams with their size,” he said. “They are most likely going to start 6-7, 6-6, 6-3 and 6-3 [in addition to the 6-foot-1 Smith]. Their bigs are very skilled, and they can shoot it from outside and put the ball on the floor.
“We have to block out well to keep them off the offensive glass.”
Dean knows that as good as the Monrovia big guys are, that everything they do goes through Smith.
“He’s tough to guard because he has really good range and the athleticism to attack the rim off the dribble,” Dean said. “We have to do a good job of containing Smith’s dribble drive and contesting his jump shot.”
Cloverdale is the two-time defending champion of Sectional 44, and has the best remaining record among the four teams.
The Clovers got 40 points from Jalen Moore and 31 more from Cooper Neese on Tuesday in routing Southmont 100-62. The Mounties had defeated Cloverdale 83-69 in December.
North Putnam’s Collin McCartt is the only coach in the state tonight with the task of trying to stop a team with two of the state’s four top individual scorers (Neese is first, Moore is now fourth).
“The thing that everybody wants to talk about, that is easier said than done, is to try to stay in front of them,” McCartt said. “Even when you do that, they both have such shooting range that it’s really tough. Cooper is in range as soon as he gets across halfcourt, and Jalen maybe a couple of dribbles across the line. You have to pick your poison.
“As much as we have to focus on them, but you also have to worry about yourselves on things,” he added. “You have to limit them to one shot. We have to take care of rebounding, and make sure we take care of the ball and get great shots every time down.”
The Cougars average exactly 60 points per game as a team, and they know they can’t allow Neese and Moore to combine for 71 as they did on Tuesday.
“When they combine like that, it doesn’t really matter,” McCartt said. “When they’re scoring that many points by themselves, it’s not going to fare well for you. You have to limit their touches and good looks and challenge everything. You can’t make a mistake and leave them open.”
Not only does Cloverdale rack up the points in its halfcourt set, but McCartt has noticed that coach Patrick Rady’s team has improved its ability to create scoring opportunities in transition.
“They’re definitely better defensively,” he said. “Their ball pressure has been better. They’re pretty high risk, high reward. If they’re getting tips and deflections and come up with the ball, they’re off to the races. That’s their game.
“When all of their guys are doing their jobs, they’re tough to be in the ballgame with.”
Cloverdale had a 10-day break from games before taking the court on Tuesday, and the Cougars will have had an even longer period of time off – having not played since Feb. 18.
“Our guys are ready to play after 12 or 13 days,” McCartt said. “Our mindset is that if you’re going to have to win a sectional is that you’re going to have to go through Cloverdale or one of these really good teams.”
One factor in North Putnam’s favor is its balanced scoring.
Junior Elliot Gross leads the team in scoring as an undersized post player who outperforms his listed height of 6-foot-2. Junior point guard Treyton Smith runs the Cougar offense but is also a scoring threat, and seniors Duke Duff and Preston Porter are both 3-point threats. Fellow senior Corbin Judy also rebounds better than his height would seem and has also had several double-figure scoring games this year.
“Offensively we’ve been steadily improving,” McCartt said. “Each of our players has something he can do that is different from someone else on the floor.
“The two guys who we have been bringing off the bench [sophomore Andrew Pickel and senior Dylan Webster] can also score,” he added. “It is nice to have a balance.”
Tonight’s winners will play at 7 p.m. on Saturday for the sectional title and a berth in the Greenfield-Central regional on March 11.
CLASS 2A SECTIONAL 44
At South Putnam
Tuesday
Monrovia 54, Cascade 47
Cloverdale 100, vs. Southmont 62
Today
6 p.m. – Monrovia (15-9) vs. South Putnam (6-16)
7:30 p.m. – Cloverdale (19-6) vs. North Putnam (10-13)
Saturday
7 p.m. – Today’s winners in championship game