Moore pours in 42 to lead Clovers by North Putnam
BAINBRIDGE — Jalen Moore scored 42 points to lead the Cloverdale Clovers over North Putnam 77-67 on Thursday night in a preview of a first-round Putnam County tourney game on Feb. 8.
The Cougars opened the game on a 10-2 run, as Andrew Pickel hit a pair of baskets and Caleb Duncan hit a pair of treys.
The Clovers got things going soon, tying the game at 12-12 on a Nolan Kelley trey with 3:29 left in the opening period and extending that advantage to 22-17 at the first stop. Moore had 11 points in the period, hitting four baskets and adding three free throws.
Moore opened the second period with a steal and a layup, and Jake Wilkes followed with the same combination for a 26-17 lead.
North Putnam wouldn’t go away, hanging tough with an Elliot Gross basket with 1:30 left in the half pulling the Cougars within 32-29.
Jake Kelley, Nolan Kelley and Parker Watts then hit consecutive treys for Cloverdale, and Moore added a buzzer beater to put the Clovers up 43-29 at halftime.
The Clovers increased that lead to 49-32 on two Moore baskets and one by Wilkes, and a Moore trey and layup gave his team a 63-45 lead at the final stop.
Cloverdale edged that lead up to 70-51 with 4:27 to play on a Nolan Kelley free throw, before the relentless Cougars came back again with 12 straight points.
Pickel had a basket to start and end the run, while Gross had a trey, a two and two free throws and Treyton Smith added a free throw to cut the gap to 70-63 with 2:00 left.
North Putnam was out of gas, though, and Moore sealed the win with a basket and five free throws in the final 1:45.
Nolan Kelley added 10 points for the Clovers, while Watts had eight.
Caleb Duncan led North Putnam with 20 points, while Pickel added 17 and Gross had 16.
CLOVERDALE (77) — Moore 14-28 13-15 42, Wilkes 3-8 0-0 6, Watts 3-8 0-0 8, Winders 2-4 0-1 5, J.Kelley 2-7 0-0 6. N.Kelley 3-5 1-2 10, Miller 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 27-56 FG, 14-18 FT, 77 TP
NORTH PUTNAM (67) — Gross 6-11 3-3 16, D.Duncan 7-14 6-12 20, Smith 3-7 2-5 9, Pickel 7-14 2-3 17, J.Duncan 0-1 0-0 0. Murray 0-1 3-4 3, Davies 1-1 0-2 2. Totals 24-51 FG, 11-17 FT, 67 TP
Cloverdale 22 21 20 14 — 77
North Putnam 17 12 16 22 — 67
3-point shooting — Cloverdale 9-28 (Moore 1-7, Wilkes 0-3, Watts 2-6, Winders 1-2, J.Kelley 2-5, N. Kelley 3-5), North Putnam 8-17 (Gross 1-1, C.Duncan 6-12, Pickel 1-4, J.Duncan 0-1).