Menu
Cloverdale girls' basketball gets thrilling win
FARMERSBURG -- The Lady Clovers traveled to Farmersburg to play the Lady Thunderbirds in their season opener Tuesday night. The Lady Clovers went home 1-0 on their young season with a 49-47 exciting win.
The first quarter started out as a back-and-forth ball game as neither team could get the upper hand. The score was tied 5 to 5 with 1:45 to play in the first period.
Cloverdale got its first lead of the night when senior Bailee Stevens hit freshman Abby Walker, who was wide open, and was fouled on the missed layup, Walker nailed both free throws to put the Clovers up 7-5.
Kimmy Winders got an offensive rebound with 3.8 seconds to play and hit the first free throw but missed the second to send the game into the second period with the Clovers up 8-6.
"We wanted to get off to a quick start but couldn't hit our shots," Cloverdale skipper Matt Langdon said. "We can put five guards on the floor at one time, and if we do, we have got to hit our open shots. Overall I was very pleased with our start."
The second quarter started fast for Cloverdale. Junior Payton Dorsett got the Clovers off to an 8-0 run with a steal and a basket and 2 of 2 from the line to go up 17-6 with 4:35 to go in the half. Angela Pieper, a junior, hit one of two free throws to make the score 18-8.
"We got off to that great start in the second quarter," Langdon added, "and even missed several open shots or we could have been up 20. We don't expect that in our first game, but it's something we can do."
The hosts got two free throws from junior guard Tory Swalls with 31 seconds before half to pull her squad within two at 19-17.
Winders then hit a long three with time running out to send the game into half with the Clovers up 22-17.
"We played well in the opening half.," Langdon said. "Our defense and rebounding kept us ahead and when it's your opening game we'll take it."
The third period saw the Clovers go up 25-19 following two free throws from Stevens at the 5:53 mark. Netherlain added a sweet baby turn around hook in the lane to pull the Thunderbirds within three on the next possession. She added a long three with 1:52 to go in the quarter to make the score 33-30 Clovers.
The final quarter began with Netherlain hitting a long three to tie the game for the second time at 33-33. Stevens hit three straight baskets to put her squad up 41-35 with 3:15 to play. From there the Clovers finished the game with five of six from the free throw line to seal their opening win.
"I'm really proud of our girls tonight," Langdon said after the game. "They played hard from the opening tip right up until the final buzzer. We held our own on the boards and hit the key free throws when we needed them. We withstood their run when they tied the game I'm very happy with the win.
"Tomorrow we have to get ourselves ready for our home opener Thursday when we host another first time squad on our schedule, the Lady Golden Arrows of Sullivan."
For the game the Lady Clovers got 14 points and 9 rebounds from Stevens, Winders added 13 points and 14 rebounds, Dorsett had 9 points and 4 rebounds, Haley Hamm with 5 points and 2 rebounds, Worthington with 4 points and Pieper and Walker both finished with 2 points each.
The hosts were led by the game's top scorer, Netherlain, with 20 points and four rebounds followed by Shroyer with 8 points, Kreischer 6, Mangram with 5, Swalls and Chilton with 4, Kreischer with 3 and Sebrina Pritchard finished with a point.
Cloverdale hit 21 of 31 from the free throw line for the game. North Central hit 8 of 14 from the line. Cloverdale won the battle of the boards 43-37.
The Lady Clovers open their home schedule Thursday night hosting the Lady Golden Arrows of Sullivan.
At North Central
Cloverdale 8 22 33 49
North Central 6 17 31 47