Clovers toughen up on D, get past Monrovia

Wednesday, February 28, 2018
Jalen Moore goes to the hoop against Monrovia on Tuesday night.
Banner Graphic/JOEY BENNETT

The Cloverdale Clover basketball team turned up its defensive pressure in the second half and was able to pull away from the Monrovia Bulldogs in the opening round of the boys’ Class 2A Sectional 44 at South Putnam High School.

The 65-52 victory allows the Clovers to advance to play against host and county rival South Putnam on Friday night. Jalen Moore and Jake Wilkes combined for 57 of the 65 points as Cloverdale chases its fourth consecutive sectional title.

The Clovers improved their record to 18-6, while the Bulldogs’ season ended at 15-9.

“I thought we were able to ramp up our defensive pressure in the second half,” Cloverdale head coach Patrick Rady said. “In the first half, we only had three deflections, but 12 in the second half. That showed that we increased our effort and intensity.”

The first quarter was more about offense. The Clovers were able maintain a small lead most of the quarter. Both teams were able to hit some shots and get into their offense in the period.

Wilkes hit a pair of three-pointers and jumper, while Moore had 10 of his game-high 35 points in the quarter. Moore was fouled on a three-point attempt with :01 left in the quarter, and the senior guard hit all three from the stripe to give the Clovers an 18-14 lead heading into the second quarter.

Monrovia kept the score close as six-foot-seven junior, Maxwell Newman scored seven points in the paint for the Bulldogs.

“He (Newman) is very good at sealing and using his body. It is textbook post play,” Rady said.

With Newman scoring inside, Chase McCloud heated up from the outside to give Monrovia a boost in the second quarter. The Bulldogs used a 9-2 run late in the half, highlighted by McCloud burying a couple from deep, to take a 31-25 lead.

Nolan Kelley was able to knock one down from deep late in the half to keep the Clovers close, but they trailed 31-28 at the intermission. Monrovia was able to slow the game down and play at pace they were comfortable with, while the Clovers couldn’t get their running game going.

“They (Monrovia) are hard to guard,” Rady said. “They do a good job of feeding the post, they are patient. They were able to get some good shots.”

Cloverdale’s defense was the story in the third quarter.

The Bulldogs turned the ball over five times in the period after only turning it over once in the first half. The Clovers were able to convert those turnovers into points as Wilkes and Moore scored all 15 points for Cloverdale in the quarter. Monrovia’s turnovers limited its shot attempts as the Bulldogs only got eight field goal attempts and had seven total points in the quarter. Newman was only able to get two points on three shots in the period.

“Sometimes when you try and guard the post, you can be effective by pressuring the ball and narrowing the window the passer has to get the ball inside. We really upped our pressure in the second half,” Rady said.

Cloverdale was able to stretch its lead to 43-38 at the end of three quarters as Moore scored the final six points of the quarter, the last on a layup at the buzzer.

The Clovers were able to overcome some foul trouble in the final stanza and used the three-ball to extend their lead. Wilkes, Moore and Jake Kelley each hit a trifecta early in the quarter, while the Clovers extended their lead to double digits at 54-44 early in the period.

Clayton Miller came off the bench and battled the much taller Newman all night and was key to the Clover defense.

“He (Miller) had his best night of practice last night. I called him on the phone last night and told him, I wasn’t afraid to use him. I told him he would do something special tonight and he did,” Rady said.

Moore hit 7-of-8 free throws to close out the Bulldogs and allow the Clovers to advance to the semifinal round.

With 35 points to lead all scorers, Cloverdale’s Moore is now just three points short of moving into 15th place on the Indiana career scoring list. Wilkes had 22 points and nine rebounds in support.

“Coach (Greg) Thomas told Jake to concentrate on his rebounding and the offense will come. If you do the little things that’s when your offense will come,” Rady said

Newman led Monrovia with 24 points, while McCloud added 11.

Cloverdale will try and advance to the championship game against South Putnam. The Clovers defeated the Eagles early in the year, 72-53 at home, but this time they will take on a rested South Putnam squad at its place.

CLOVERDALE (65) – Winders 0-1 0-0 0, Watts 0-2 0-0 0, Wilkes 8-10 1-2 22, J. Kelley 1-5 0-0 3, Moore 11-20 10-12 35, Miller 1-1 0-0 2, N. Kelley 1-1 0-0 3, Ashcraft 0-0 0-0 0, Sims 0-0 0-0 0, Gill 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 22-40 FG, 11-14 FT, 65 TP.

MONROVIA (52) — Smith 4-7 0-0 9, McCloud 4-8 1-2 11, Bantley 2-4 0-0 5, Nagel 1-5 0-0 3, Newman 8-15 8-13 24, Sprague 0-1 0-0 0, Newlin 0-0 0-0 0, Burton 0-0 0-0 0, Williams 0-0 0-0 0, Danforth 0-0 0-0 0, Wray 0-1 0-0 0, Burnside 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 19-41 FG, 9-15 FT, 52 TP.

Cloverdale 18 10 15 22 — 65

Monrovia 14 17 7 14 — 52

3-Point shoooting — CHS 10-21 (Winders 0-1, Watts 0-1, Wilkes 5-7, J. Kelley 1-4, Moore 3-7, N. Kelley 1-1) MHS 5-15 (Smith 1-3, McCloud 2-4, Wray 0-1, Bantley 1-1, Nagel 1-4, Newman 0-1, Sprague 0-1). Rebounds – CHS 16 (Winders 4, Wilkes 9, J. Kelley 1, Miller 1) MHS – 27 (Smith 5, McCloud 4, Bantley 2, Nagel 1, Newman 11, Sprague 1, Williams 1) FG Pct. – CHS 55.0, MHS 46.3. FT Pct. – CHS 78.6, MHS 60.0. Turnovers CHS 6, MHS 14.

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