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Clovers’ tourney run ends at regional
GREENFIELD — Same matchup, same gym, same result.
Cloverdale and Northeastern hooked up in the Greenfield-Central Class 2A boys’ basketball regional on Saturday for the second straight year, with the Clovers hoping to reverse a 20-point loss a year ago.
The result was unfortunately the same, as the Clovers led 45-44 after three quarters but were out played in the final period and dropped a 67-59 game.
Leading 16-6 late in the first quarter, it seemed those dreams of reversing the last matchup might come true. However, Northeastern scored 21 consecutive points to regain control.
Clover standout Cooper Neese picked up two fouls in the first 4:18 of the game, and coach Patrick Rady chose to remove him from the game with 1:14 left in the quarter for a little rest and to try to avoid an early third foul.
Northeastern took advantage, as Nate Reynolds hit a 3-pointer and teammate Freeman Brou followed with a quick basket.
Eighteen seconds later, Neese re-entered with his team’s lead cut in half.
The first quarter ended at that same five-point margin, but the damage inflicted by Northeastern was far from being done.
“We were hoping it was offense/defense, but before I could call a timeout we turned it over,” Cloverdale coach Patrick Rady said. “We got him right back in there, but they had scored five points. I think they got a little momentum there.
“We would do it again.”
Reynolds, a 6-6 senior, started the second period with two more treys to give Northeastern a 17-16 lead.
The Knights kept pounding away with 10 more points from four different players, and led 27-16 with 3:16 left in the half.
Cloverdale’s Jalen Moore hit a free throw with 2:49 left to end a 6:25 drought. Moore and Neese each added four more points before halftime, and the Clovers were in surprisingly good shape trailing 31-25 — considering the long drought.
Neese had 10 points in the first half, with a pair of treys in the opening quarter and the four points late in the half.
Moore had eight in the first half, but broke out with 16 in the third period as the Clovers erased their earlier woes and dominated the last half of the third period.
Northeastern actually doubled its halftime lead to 38-26 on a pair of Tyler Smith free throws with 5:34 left in the period before Moore got to work. Nine straight points by the lefty helped cut the Clover deficit to just three at 38-35.
Reynolds responded with a basket to stop Moore’s run, but the Clovers then got eight straight on a Nick Winders free throw, a Moore basket, two Neese free throws and a long Moore trey.
That flurry gave the Clovers a 43-40 lead with 1:25 left in the period, and caused Northeastern to change defenses again.
“They were in a box-and-one, and we had prepared for that,” Rady said. “We actually attacked it very well. They made a few adjustments, and then Jalen got going and they went to a triangle-and-two.
“Our defense picked up at that point and we caused them to make some turnovers,” he added. “Our kids deserve a lot of credit for coming back to take the lead.”
The Knights briefly regained the lead on a pair of Smith free throws and a basket from Jalen Hillard, but Moore hit a pair of free throws with 41.4 seconds left in the half to give the Clovers their one-point cushion entering the fourth quarter.
Smith took over the game at that point for Northeastern, starting the final period by following up his own missed shot for a basket, getting fouled on the play, adding the free throw and then making a steal and converting the layup.
After another pair of Moore free throws, Smith hit three more free throws and Kaleb Mikesell added a trey for a 55-47 Northeastern lead with 4:43 left.
Moore hit a trey to cut the gap to five, but Smith answered with a basket plus a free throw and another pair of free throws for a 10-point cushion with 1:39 left.
Cloverdale only got back within single digits on a Neese trey in the closing seconds.
Smith scored more half of his team-high 28 points in the final period. Reynolds added 15 points for the winners.
Moore led all scorers with 31 for Cloverdale, while Neese scored 20 in his final high school game.
The Butler-bound senior finished his career as the seventh-leading scorer in state history, but Rady says that statistical fact does not begin to cover Neese’s special nature.
“It’s very special, but not because he’s a top 10 scorer,” he said. “It’s because of the kid he is. That is what I will remember, from his faith to the personal relationship that I have had with him — and from what he has meant to my family.”
Rady noted that Neese’s contribution to the Cloverdale community will linger long past his graduation this spring.
“It’s been more than a player-coach relationship,” he said. “He gives everything he’s got to our school and our community. That’s the reason I’m proud to coach No. 11.”
Like every coach after the last game of the season, Rady admits it’s going to be tough moving forward despite several players returning for next year.
“When you have to say good-bye to seniors, and especially the ones we have this year, it’s tough,” he said. “It was a memorable run.”
Rady feels his players can learn from the situation, and having dreams broken is not totally bad for their personal development.
“Our goal was to finish at Bankers Life Fieldhouse getting the nets, and it didn’t happen,” Rady added. “But that’s life. You don’t always get what you want, but you hope that you learn from the journey you had and that makes you a tougher person.
“They can take that on to become better husbands and fathers someday. That’s what society needs.”
After putting his Cloverdale uniform in his travel bag for the last time in the locker room following the game, Neese was still digesting the many thoughts going through his head.
“It’s real,” Neese said of the toughest defeat of his young life. “I’m just trying to take in the moments of my four years, but it’s hard to do in one day.
“I just want to thank the Cloverdale community,” he added. “They’ve been behind me since my seventh-grade year. It’s been unreal to play for Cloverdale.”
Neese said the climb up the state scoring ladder has been an enjoyable one.
“It’s been special,” he said. “Every game there has been something special happen. I’ve been thankful for the support I’ve had and for the ability that God gave me to do it. It’s awesome.”
Northeastern was defeated in the championship game 65-50 by Heritage Christian.
CLOVERDALE (59) — Neese 6-21 5-7 20, Moore 7-22 14-16 31, Winders 1-6 1-2 4, Wilkes 2-4 0-0 4, Pfaff 0-3 0-0 0, Watts 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 16-57 FG, 20-24 FT, 59 TP
NORTHEASTERN (67) — Smith 7-15 14-17 28, Brou 2-7 2-3 6, N.Reynolds 4-6 4-6 15, Mikesell 3-5 2-2 8, Hillard 2-3 0-0 4, A.Reynolds 0-1 0-0 0, Stolle 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 20-38 FG, 22-27 FT, 67 TP.
Cloverdale 16 9 20 14 — 59
Northeastern 11 20 13 23 — 67
3-point shooting — Cloverdale 7-33 (Neese 3-15, Moore 3-11, Winders 1-4, Wilkes 0-2, Pfaff 0-1), Northeastern 5-10 (Smitih 0-1, Brou 0-1, N.Reynolds 3-5, Mikesell 2-2, Hillard 0-1, A.Reynolds 0-1).
