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Clovers beat Eagles in a tourney thriller
There should have been no surprise when Cloverdale and South Putnam were involved in a knockdown-drag out match-up in the second game of the girls' Putnam County Tournament Friday night.
Both teams threw themselves into the game at every opportunity and it took 9-of-11 free throw shooting from the Clovers in the final quarter to withstand a late barrage from the Eagles and advance to the finals with a 49-46 win.
Cloverdale head coach Matthew Langdon said the girls played well in the first half and held their nerve in the second half.
"We scored 26 points in the first half so things were working on offense," Langdon said. "The big thing was defensively, we didn't give them many openings and the girls covered up well."
South Putnam head coach Tim Garver said that it took halftime and an injection of energy to get going in the game.
"We struggled at the beginning of the game and it was a matter of getting ourselves focused at halftime," Garver said. "We brought in some energy in the second half, played some good defense, scrambled a lot for loose balls and steals, which we got, but in the end we just came up short."
The hosts started the game with a 5-0 lead that evaporated after Payton Dorsett, Abby Walker and Kimmy Winders buried threes that put Cloverdale ahead 9-7.
Emily Dobson tied the score with a basket before Laura Worthington knocked down a three-point play that kept the Clovers ahead after one period 12-9.
Cloverdale scored the opening nine points of the second quarter to take a 21-9 lead and seemed poised to take a good lead into the break.
Ariel Higgins' two-and-three point baskets helped bring the Eagles back within striking distance but the Clovers went into halftime leading by eight at 26-18.
Higgins was among several players off the bench that helped keep South Putnam in the game when several starters had foul trouble, according to Garver.
"Anytime you take good athletes out, it's going to affect your team," Garver said. "Two players off our bench, Ariel Higgins and Maddie McHugh, stepped up big for us on defense tonight."
The game became a scrappy affair midway through the second quarter and South Putnam ratcheted up the pressure as the second half began.
The result was a game that broke down as the Eagles utilized steals and turnovers to cut the deficit in half at 32-28 by the time the fourth quarter began.
Langdon had told his team at halftime to expect a bruising final 16 minutes.
"We told the girls this is a very hungry and well coached South Putnam team," Langdon said. "They made adjustments at halftime to create problems and it turned into a physical, scrappy game in the second half."
The pace only intensified in the fourth quarter after Miranda Bieghler buried a pair of threes to tie the game and minutes later knocked down a shot to give the Eagles their first lead since the first quarter at 40-38.
Scoring from then on became a two-on-two dual between Winders and Bailee Stevens against Bieghler and Jenna Carmichael.
Winders got a point from the line before Carmichael knocked down a basket to restore the three-point advantage. A foul on a three-point attempt allowed Winders to cut the deficit down to one again after hitting two-of-three from the line.
Stevens then stole a pass and scored to give Cloverdale a 43-42 lead before Carmichael buried two shots from the foul line to retake the lead for the Eagles at 44-43.
Winders hit a jumper and Stevens knocked down a pair of free throws to put the Clovers ahead for good at 47-44 before Bieghler knocked down a pair of free throws of her own to cut the gap to 47-46.
Two more free throws from Winders put the Clovers up three before the senior missed the last two, got the rebound, missed the shot and gave South Putnam one more chance to tie the game.
Bieghler's desperation heave from near mid-court was no good and Cloverdale finally saw off the challenge from the Eagles to advance to the Putnam County Tournament final.
After their past two meetings and close games to start the season, Langdon said the team's mentality was strong down the stretch.
"In the past, if we made mistakes, we would feel like we had already lost the game," Langdon said. "Tonight, when we got down, we saw no faces that looked like they were going to lose that game and we didn't let mistakes affect the next play."
Garver, meanwhile, was impressed with the way the Eagle fought back.
"I'm proud of our girls," Garver said. "Anytime you're down that much at halftime, get right back in the game and take the lead, that shows determination and effort and that's what we try to preach."
South Putnam will play North Putnam in the consolation game of the Putnam County Tournament Saturday night and Garver said that the squad needed to continue finding their offensive rhythm.
"We need to work on what we do on offense," Garver said. "We've told the girls we need to work on the offensive end and if we work this thing through, we'll be okay."
Cloverdale, meanwhile, will play Greencastle in the final for the second straight year and Langdon felt that after last year's contest, the Clovers were ready to tackle the challenge again.
"We know we're the underdogs but last year, we proved that we could hang with them," Langdon said. "We respect their team very much, but if we play well and play our own game, we can get this down."
At South Putnam
Cloverdale 12 14 6 17 ญญญญ-- 49
South Putnam 9 9 10 18 -- 46
Scoring
Cloverdale -- 13-47 FG, 4-14 3-FG, 19-28 FT -- Stevens 19, Winders 15, Worthington 7, Dorsett 4, Walker 3, Pieper 1, Hamm 0
South Putnam -- 18-61 FG, 3-18 3-FG, 7-10 FT -- Carmichael 12, Bieghler 12, Dobson 6, Hewitt 5, Higgins 5, Lady 2, Modglin 2, Stein 2, McHugh 0
Rebounding (Offensive)
Cloverdale 30 (14); South Putnam 28 (11)