Speedy Cadet squad defeats Cloverdale 73-40

Friday, December 30, 2011
Cloverdale's Zach Dorman powers his way up for two of his team-high 18 points Thursday.

The Cloverdale boys' basketball team got its first look at West Central Conference foe Cascade in the opening game of the South Putnam Holiday Classic Thursday.

What they saw was a speedy team that capitalized on turnovers and had a prowess for hitting the outside shot.

The Clovers lost to the Cadets 73-40 to fall to 1-8 on the season. They will hook up with North Vermillion in the consolation game after the Falcons lost to host South Putnam 53-48.

While the Cadets enjoyed the luxury of subbing players in and out throughout the game, Cloverdale was limited to just seven varsity players on the night and the shallow bench didn't allow much wiggle room for mistakes.

From the opening tip, Cloverdale played the Cadets tough, allowing Cascade to gain an 18-5 edge after one quarter. Things didn't improve much in the second quarter, as they allowed 15 points, while scoring only eight, with the Cadets taking a sizable 33-13 advantage into the locker room.

Guard J.T. Thomas gave the Clovers fits all evening, especially in the third quarter. Thomas stole numerous balls on the Cadets side of the court and tossed in 10 points in the quarter. In all, Cascade exploded for 27points in the third and ran out to a big 60-22 lead after three quarters of play.

In the fourth quarter, Cloverdale's Zach Dorman scored 13 of Cloverdale's 18 points. Dorman was able to take advantage of his size and mobility down low to maneuver around the Cascade defense.

Dorman led the Clovers with 18 points, with Mitch Williams adding eight and Joe Fidler adding five. Brandon Dorman scored four, Chuck Strunk three and Kedrick Collett scored two in the loss.

For the Cadets, Thomas scored 28 points to lead the way.

Up next for the Clovers will be a North Vermillion squad that's that currently sits at 1-6 on the year. Cloverdale and North Vermillion are schedule to tip at 6 p.m. tonight.

At South Putnam

Cascade 18 15 27 13 -- 73

Cloverdale 5 8 9 18 -- 40

Individual Stats

Cloverdale -- Z. Dorman 18, Williams 8, Fidler 5, B. Dorman 4, Strunk 3, Collett 2. Totals: 14-38 FG, 9-22 FT, 40 TP.

Cascade -- Thomas 28, No. 23 11, Arthur 8, Bridges 4, Bobadilla 2, Lautenschlager 2, Western 1. Totals: 29-61 FG, 11-17 FT, 73 TP.