COUNTY TOURNEY: South Putnam edges Cloverdale 55-50 behind Vanihel’s 17 points

Saturday, November 18, 2017
South Putnam's Lexi Vanihel launches a trey against Cloverdale on Friday.
Banner Graphic/JOEY BENNETT

The second game of the girls’ Putnam County Classic Friday night was the fifth time in the past calendar year that Cloverdale and South Putnam played each other. The two teams had split the four previous games and both were undefeated coming into the game.

Friday night’s game lived up to all expectations with the Eagles coming out on top with a 55-50 victory over the Clovers.

One team went to the line 25 times and converted 18, while the other made only 5-of-16 from the charity stripe. That same team outrebounded the other 34-29 and turned the ball over less 13-17. You would think that the winning team had those statistics, but not this time as Cloverdale won those statistical battles.

“It is hard in any game when you go 5-of-16 from the free throw line and the opposing team goes 18-of-25. How do we win that game?” South Putnam head coach Brian Gardner asked.

The difference was field goal shooting, particularly three-point shooting. The Eagles shot 53.8 percent (21-of-39) from the field, including 8-of-17 from behind the arc. The Clovers managed only 15-of-52 from the floor and 2-of-22 from three-point land.

“The game was decided on the three-point line. We were 2-of-22 and they hit shots,” Cloverdale coach Matthew Langdon said.

Cloverdale’s Sammie Shrum started the game with a layup on the first possession, but the Eagles responded by outscoring the Clovers 9-1 over the next two minutes. Miranda Bieghler hit a trey and layup in the run, while Lillie Stein had a pair of buckets to give the Eagles a 9-3 lead early in the game. The two teams played evenly throughout the period and South led 14-10 heading into the second quarter.

“We moved the ball very well and were able to knock down our shots,” Gardner said.

The Clover press began to wear on the Eagles a little in the second period. South turned the ball over six times and shot just 4-of-11 from the field. The second quarter was the only period in which the Eagles shot under 50 percent.

Shrum and Tori Combs got to the basket early in the second quarter and eventually took a 20-17 lead halfway through the quarter on a Shrum trey. South answered quickly with an Aubrey Hill layup and then two back-to-back threes from Bieghler and Lexi Vanihel to jump back into the lead 25-20. The Clovers narrowed the margin to 25-24 to end the half from the free throw line, hitting 7-of-8 from the stripe in the quarter.

“Shots weren’t falling, so we tried to drive a little. We did that and that was a positive,” Langdon said.

The third quarter was much of the same. The two teams could not get any major runs going. The Eagles held a five-point lead early in the quarter, but couldn’t extend it any further as Cloverdale wouldn’t go away.

The Clovers tied the game twice, but couldn’t get over the hump to take a lead as the Eagles were efficient in the quarter hitting 7-of-10 shots and only turning the ball over three times against the Clovers press. Handling the pressure was a key component according to Gardner.

“I bet 80 percent of their points early in the year came in the transition game off their press. We didn’t let that happen by taking care of the ball,” Gardner said.

The Eagles extended their lead to 42-38 as Stein converted a layup with under two seconds left in the quarter. That was the second straight quarter that the Eagles ended by scoring just before the buzzer, which was key for momentum.

“We were really good at the end of the quarters. That was really big for us, tonight,” Gardner said.

Cloverdale kept contact with the Eagles early in the fourth quarter. A Shrum layup cut the lead to 44-42 with just over five minutes to play, but then Vanihel nailed a NBA range three-pointer just a minute later to give South a five-point lead. She led all scorers with 17 points, but that was her only points of the fourth quarter, but they were big ones.

“The Vanihel girl really hurt us. She was the difference maker tonight,” Langdon said of South’s sophomore guard.

The Eagles couldn’t quite put the Clovers away until late in the game due to struggling from the charity stripe. The Eagles only hit 3-of-11 from the line, but their defense kept the Clovers from rallying. Cloverdale only converted 3-of-17 from the field in the period.

“We had to defend their drive. They are really good at drive and kick. We did well and got hands up on shots. We were physical when they cut and I think our physical play caused them to rush a little,” Gardner said.

The Clovers fell to 4-1 and will take on North Putnam in the consolation game, not what they wanted according to Langdon.

“They (his players) gave their heart and soul in this game. Tomorrow is an important game. No one wants to be in the consolation game. We need to come out ready to play,” Langdon said.

Shrum and Combs led the way for the Clovers with 16 points each. Vanihel led all scorers with 17 points, while Stein added 13 and Bieghler chipped in with 11 for a balanced Eagle attack.

“We’ve got some girls who can shoot it and make big shots. Lillie (Stein) has done it, Bieghler has done it, Vanihel tonight. Also, Alex Bratcher came in and hit tow tonight,” Gardner said.

The Eagle victory moved their record to 3-0 on the season to set up a rematch of last year’s Putnam County Classic championship game against Greencastle.

CLOVERDALE (50) – McCracken 0-5 4-6 4, Shrum 6-12 3-5 16, Walker 1-7 2-2 5, Combs 6-17 4-6 16, Thomas 0-8 2-2 4, Price 2-3 1-2 5, Shedron 0-0 0-0 0 Totals 15-52 FG, 18-25 FT, 50 TP.

SOUTH PUTNAM (55) – Nichols 0-0 0-0 0, Bieghler 4-7 1-2 11, Vanihel 6-10 1-2 17, Capps 2-4 0-1 4, Stein 5-12 3-8 13, Bratcher 2-4 0-3 6, Hill 2-2 0-0 4, Custis 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 21-39 FG, 5-16 FT, 55 TP.

Cloverdale 10 14 14 12 – 50

South Putnam 14 11 17 13 – 55

3-point shooting – CHS 2-22 (Shrum 1-6, Walker 1-6, McCracken 0-2, Combs 0-1, Thomas 0-7), SP 8-17 (Bieghler 2-3, Vanihel 4-6, Bratcher 2-3, Stein 0-5,) REB – CHS 34 (McCracken 1, Shrum 6, Walker 2, Combs 14, Thomas 3, Price 2), SP 29 (Stein 2, Bieghler 2, Capps 9, Nichols 1, Vanihel 5, Bratcher 4, Hill 2), FG Pct. – CHS 28.8, SP 53.8. FT Pct. – CHS 72.0, SP 31.3. Turnovers – CHS 13, SP 17.

Respond to this story

Posting a comment requires free registration: