Week two of the league campaign was a good one for Cloverdale High School teams, as the varsity boys and girls combined for four wins in five outings.
The boys (13-3, 3-1) scored a pair of impressive road and home victories over Middletown (61-50) and Willits (54-28) to stay one game back of Fort Bragg (4-0) in the NCL-1 standings. At press time the Eagles were prepping for a Jan. 19 clash with St. Helena, followed by a Friday, Jan. 22, visit to Lower Lake. Start times for the JV and varsity are 6 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
Meanwhile, the girls (13-4, 2-2) rebounded from a 43-32 home loss to Middletown with subsequent road wins over Mendocino (47-34) and Willits (59-45). This week, Cloverdale has scheduled games at St. Helena (Jan. 19) and home on Jan. 22 against Lower Lake (6/7:30 p.m.).
Boys on a roll
The varsity boys were focused and ready for their Jan. 12 visit to Middletown, jumping out to a 31-17 lead at the break. The Eagles maintained the advantage throughout the second half en route to a 61-50 win.
“It felt good to get a win in Middletown, we never play well there,” Eagles coach Steve Bernardi said. “Shooting 8-16 from the three-point range helped our cause.”
Top scorers for Cloverdale included Jayson McMillan (16 points, 11 rebounds), Gage Hoover (14 points, 4 threes) and Marcus Poe (12 points).
It was all Eagles three nights later against visiting Willits, treating local fans to a dominant victory. Cloverdale outscored the Wolverines 35-10 in the first half and never looked back in an eventual 54-28 win.
“We played a great defensive game, holding Willits to 16 points through quarters,” Bernardi noted. “When we defend like that we’re tough to beat.”
Pacing the attack were McMillan (13 points), Poe (11 points) and Hoover (10 points)
Girls take two of three
There are few easy dates on the NCL-1 schedule for the Lady Eagles, as evidenced by a tough, Jan. 12 meeting with visiting Middletown. Cloverdale trailed by just 12-11 after one, but was swamped 15-2 in the decisive second quarter. The teams played on even terms after the break but the Mustangs hung on for a 43-32 win.
Top scorers for the Eagles were Angel Bernardi (12 points), Ale Perez (10 points), Teanne Edens (5 points), Karsyn Stewart (4 points) and Jaedyn Jenkins (1 point).
Cloverdale was back in winning form the following night at Mendocino, racing to a 26-16 cushion at the half on the way to a 47-34 win. Pacing the offensive attack were Bernardi (17 points), Edens (9 points), Jenkins (8 points, 5 rebounds), Camryn Figueroa (4 points), Perez (4 points), Karsyn Stewart (3 points) and Bailey Stewart (2 points).
The Lady Eagles got off to a slow start in the Jan. 15 date at Willits, spotting their host an 8-0 lead out of the gate. Cloverdale regrouped to trail by five at the half, and finished the game on a 39-18 run en route to a 59-45 win.
Edens led the way with 14 points, while other good efforts were had by Bernardi (13 points), Karsyn Stewart (11 points,13 rebounds), Figueroa (9 points, 4 rebounds), Jenkins (7 points) and Bailey Stewart (5 points).
