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Cold-shooting Clover girls fall to Clay City, 39-33
CLAY CITY — The Clay City Eels needed a win in the worst way to start the new year, and on Monday evening the girls’ team got just that with a gritty 39-33 victory.
The Eels came into Monday’s contest having lost four straight to end the year in tournament play at the Toby Yoho Tournament.
Clay City sophomore Aysiah Hernandez hit her only shot of the game, a 3-pointer, with 1:33 left in the third quarter to give the Eels a 26-21 lead. It provided her team a bit of breathing room when it was scuffling to finish off the quarter.
One of the Eels’ stalwarts came to the rescue in the fourth quarter, however, as Avalee Jeffers answered a pair of Cloverdale free throws with a bucket off an inbound play. She followed at the defensive end with a block and drew a foul at the offensive end.
Jeffers struggled early on with her foul shot, missing her first three of the quarter. Cloverdale, which had missed its first nine shots from beyond the 3-point line, finally found its range as Arianna McCracken tied the game with a trey with 3:55 remaining.
Jeffers followed with a free throw and Kyndall Boyll hit a reverse lay-up over her shoulder to put Clay City on top 31-28. Another free throw by Jeffers pushed the lead to 32-28.
McCracken answered right back with another big 3-pointer for the Clovers as they got within 32-31. However, it was Jeffers that returned with a bucket off an offensive rebound.
Cloverdale’s all-everything forward Tori Combs continued to cause problems for the Eels on both ends of the court, as she scored off her own missed shot. Cloverdale got within 34-33, but the Clovers went cold from the field.
Jeffers found the range on both free throws and then stole the ball on the defensive end with 30 seconds remaining. Boyll added two more from the line and Jeana Everhart capped an active night off the bench with a free throw as Clay City finished on a 5-0 run.
Neither team wanted to take control in the first half as the teams combined for 18 first quarter turnovers.
Clay City was finally able to find some traction as time wound down in the second quarter with the game tied at 10-all. Combs picked up her third foul and sat the remaining four minutes.
“When she picked up her third foul it really hurt Cloverdale,” Eels coach Chris Ames said of Combs going to the bench. “She is a load to handle. She is all over the place and causes havoc on the offensive and defensive ends. We had a hard time with her. She is a good player.”
CLOVERDALE (33) — McCracken 3-8 0-0 8, Helterbrand 0-8 0-0 0, Shrum 0-9 3-6 3, Combs 6-12 2-3 14, Thomas 2-11 2-3 6, Meek 0-5 0-0 0, Price 1-2 0-0 2. Totals: 12-55 7-12 33.
CLAY CITY (39) — Steward 0-0 0-0 0, Myers 1-3 0-0 2, Boyll 2-7 2-2 6, Ames 4-14 0-0 12, Jeffers 5-11 4-8 14, Dickson 0-1 1-6 1, Hernandez 1-3 0-0 3, Everhart 0-0 1-2 1. Totals: 13-38 8-18 39.
Cloverdale 8 5 10 10 — 33
Clay City 6 12 8 13 — 39
3-point field goals — CC 5-17 (Ames 4-13, Hernandez 1-1, Myers 0-1, Jeffers 0-2), CL 2-14 (McCracken 2-4, Thomas 0-6, Shrum 0-3). Rebounds — CC 39 (Jeffers 14, Ames 5, Boyll 5), CL 33 (Combs 14, Price 6). Total Fouls — CC 15, CL 19. Turnovers — CC 29, CL 21.