Cloverdale slips past Granada 54-52 in championship thriller
The 49th annual John McMillan Holiday Invitational Basketball Tournament overcame all obstacles last weekend to end in dramatic fashion, as the host Eagles rose to the occasion to turn back Granada 54-52 in a championship thriller.
It was the second straight year that the teams met in the McMillan title game, but this time it was the Eagles that would hoist the championship trophy.
The tournament looked very much in jeopardy when torrential rain washed out Thursday’s first-round games, but some mad scrambling from tourney officials had things back on track the following day.
“It was a great weekend for Cloverdale basketball,” beamed CHS head coach Steve Bernardi. “With the help of the Cloverdale Administration, my wife Sandra and numerous volunteers from the community, the 49th annual JMHIBT was a success. Despite the weather and school cancellations, all games were played.”
The revised tourney format called for first-round games to be played on Friday, with each team playing two on Saturday. Participating teams included Cloverdale, Granada, St. Helena, Berean Christian, St. Vincent, Clear Lake, Roseland University Prep, and Balboa.
In a scene straight out of Hollywood, senior forward John McMillan was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player, receiving the award from his grandfather and namesake. Senior guard Greg Scaramella was also named to the all-tourney team.
The Eagles opened the McMillan tourney in dominant fashion, turning back Clear Lake 73-59. McMillan led all scorers with 26 points and 12 rebounds. Other top contributors included Marcus Poe (12 points, 12 boards), and Scaramella (10 points, 9 assists).
“We played a good game against a strong Clear Lake team,” Bernardi noted. “John McMillan had a great game and the whole team played outstanding defense.”
Cloverdale squared off with Balboa in the semifinals on Saturday, overcoming a slow start to emerge with a 60-47 victory. John McMillan took top scoring honors with 20 points and 12 rebounds, while younger brother Jayson tallied 15 points. Poe rounded out the scoring with 12 points.
The Eagles had little more than four hours before meeting Granada in the tourney championship game, and the contest lived up to all expectations.
Granada came out firing on all cylinders, racing to a 21-13 lead at the end of one before extending the advantage to 11 points midway through the second quarter. The Eagles closed out the half on a 9-4 run, fueled by a pair of three-pointers from Jayson McMillan, to cut the deficit to 32-26 at the break.
The game turned defensive in a low scoring third quarter, as the Eagles closed to within four points at the end of three. Granada maintained the advantage until late in the fourth quarter, when Cloverdale used an 8-2 run to grab a 51-50 lead with two minutes remaining. The Matadors scored to re-take the lead, but Poe calmly knocked down a pair of free throws with 41 seconds left to give the Eagles a two-point edge. The Cloverdale defense would get two critical stops in the final seconds to preserve a 54-52 win.
“It was a very exciting game, both teams played well,” Bernardi said. “Our defense won the game for us, especially in the second half.”
Jayson McMillan led all scorers with 18 points and eight rebounds, while John McMillan (11 points, 7 boards), and Poe (10 points, 11 rebounds) turned in outstanding efforts for the Eagles.
Next up for Cloverdale (4-2) is a Thursday, Dec. 18 clash with visiting Healdsburg. The varsity tip off is at 7 p.m.
