Cloverdale bounced by Woodside Priory in Nor Cal tourney
SAN JOSE – The Lady Eagles wrapped up their most successful hoops campaign in three decades on Saturday, falling to Woodside Priory, 58-42 in the quarterfinals of the CIF State Nor Cal basketball playoffs.
Cloverdale finished an historic season with a final record of 25-8.
The Eagles advanced to the second round of Nor Cals by virtue of a 52-33 home victory over visiting Mariposa on March 9, the 25th win of the season. It was the first CIF State playoff victory for the girls program since 1984.
The road to the Nor Cal tournament was not an easy one for Cloverdale following a very competitive second place league record of 10-4 and a trip to the North Coast Section Division-5 semifinals.
Eagles soar in playoffs
The Lady Eagles were riding a wave of momentum entering the Nor Cal playoff tournament, with the sixth seed affording them the luxury of a first round home game against number 11 Mariposa (21-9) on March 9.
Cloverdale got off to its customary slow start in the first quarter, struggling to put the ball in the basket as the Grizzlies took an 8-7 lead after one. The Eagles, fueled by a stifling defense and the scoring of seniors Teanne Edens and Angel Bernardi, began to find the range in the second period. Cloverdale finished the quarter on a 13-6 run to grab a 20-14 halftime lead.
The third quarter proved decisive, as the unrelenting Eagles’ defense continued to convert Mariposa turnovers into easy transition buckets. Cloverdale outscored the Grizzlies 18-8 to open up a commanding, 38-22 advantage. There was no let-up on defense for the Eagles in the final period as they powered to a 52-33 win.
Pacing the Cloverdale offense were Edens (16 points), Bernardi (13 points), Ale Perez (8 points)Â and Karsyn Stewart (8 points).
The win advanced the Eagles into the Nor Cal quarterfinals on March 12 at number three seeded Woodside Priory (19-6) in San Jose, a team sporting three starters over six feet tall.
The match-up proved a challenging one for Cloverdale, which was swamped, 17-5 in the first quarter before trailing 33-15 at the break. Despite losing starter Karsyn Stewart to a possible concussion, the Eagles regrouped at the half, coming out with intensity in a well-played third quarter to trail by 17. Cloverdale would not get much closer in the final eight minutes as the Panthers cruised to a 58-42 win.
Top scorers for the Eagles included Edens (14 points), Bernardi (12 points), Perez (5 points) and Jaedyn Jenkins (6 points).
