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Cloverdale's Marquise Moore is Putnam County Player of the Year
With a 19-2 record, an undefeated slate in the West Central Conference and a No. 6 ranking in the final AP poll, it was certainly a season to remember for Clover-dale boys' basketball.
The Clovers were the best team in the county throughout the 2013-14 season, and their team success has earned some individual accolades, as juniors Marquise Moore and Brantson Scott, along with freshman Cooper Neese, have garnered three of the five spots on the Banner Graphic All-Putnam County Team.
The three Clovers are joined on the first team by South Putnam senior Trey Moore and North Putnam senior Jordan Nauert.
Earning honorable mention all-county are Greencastle's Brody Bollman and Holden King, along with North Putnam's Bennett Hazelgrove.
While the ballot is crowded with Clover teammates, the Clovers' Moore is the 2013-14 Putnam County Player of the Year.
Marquise Moore
The junior guard shared the scoring load with Neese, but Moore led the county in scoring at 475 points (23.8 per game) on 47-percent shooting.
Moore's athleticism made him a standout on offense, with an ability to finish drives in the lane as well as pull up beyond the arc, where he shot 41 percent.
Like many of Hall of Fame coach Pat Rady's best teams over the years, the Clovers' offense began on the defensive end. No one in the county was better than Moore at turning defense into offense. His 2.8 steals per game led the county, and were a key to the Clovers' potent transition game.
Moore was also tops among the four Clovers who averaged at least two assists per game at 2.5, and he had solid rebounding numbers (3.6 per game) for a 5-9 perimeter player.
Cooper Neese
Neese was the other half of the Clovers' two-headed offensive monster, averaging 21 points per game against competitors who were mostly two or three years older.
The freshman made a couple of big statements early in his varsity career, scoring 36 in the Clovers' season-opening victory over North Central (Farmersburg), then adding a buzzer beater to win the Putnam County Classic title just 10 days later.
In just 20 high school games, he's shown a knack for the big moment, including scoring 22 of the team's 50 points in their season-ending loss to Speedway.
Neese is not simply a scorer, though, as he also average 3.6 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 2.2 steals, contributing in a number of areas to the Clovers' attack.
Trey Moore
While the Clovers' Moore and Neese could share the offensive load with each other and several other teammates, Eagle senior Trey Moore went into each night knowing the offensive load was his to bear.
Night after night, the forward answered the bell.
Not only did Moore average 20.4 points per game, he did it efficiently on 56-percent shooting.
If Moore saw a few inches of daylight from the defense, he would contort his body into scoring position and usually convert it into points.
Even when Moore's shots didn't fall, he was often able to get his own rebound for another chance, pulling down an average of 2.9 offensive rebounds per game.
Overall, Moore averaged 7.8 rebounds per contest, good for second best in the county.
Brantson Scott
As teammates Moore and Neese got the headlines, Scott was a rock on the inside for the Clovers, bringing consistent scoring, rebounding and defense night after night.
The junior averaged a quiet 10 points to go with 7.9 rebounds and 1.1 blocks, both of which led the county.
His 57-percent shooting was also tops among county regulars.
He also displayed his scoring ability in a 36-point explosion against Eminence late in the year.
Scott's reliability inside coupled with the explosiveness of his teammates on the perimeter gives Clover fans a reason to be excited for another special season in 2014-15.
Jordan Nauert
One of six seniors who helped lead North Putnam to its most wins (11) in a decade,
Nauert earns the final spot on the all-county first team.
Nauert took on the scoring load for the Cougars, averaging 13.7 points on 43-percent shooting.
To that, he added 3.8 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.5 steals.
Brody Bollman
A junior, Bollman developed into the Tiger Cubs' offensive leader as the season progressed. He anchored the Greencastle attack at 11.8 points per game.
He also pulled down 6.2 boards per game, showing promise for a strong senior campaign.
Holden King
Not even a full-time starter for the Tiger Cubs, King made the most of his senior campaign.
Averaging 8 points per game for GHS, King was also a strong defender who simply did whatever was asked of him night after night.
His 33-percent three-point shooting made him a threat whenever he touched the ball from outside.
Bennett Hazelgrove
North Putnam senior Hazelgrove made nice contributions for the Cougars on both ends of the floor.
He averaged 11.8 points for the Cougars, second on the team to Nauert, and led the team with 1.7 steals per contest.
Hazelgrove's 4.2 rebounds and 1.6 assists finished off a well-rounded game for the senior.