Eagles beat Knights, Mustangs, Wolverines
That 0-4 start in North Central League I play is a distant memory for the Cloverdale High School junior varsity girls basketball team.
Cloverdale improved to 6-5 last week by beating three teams in a span of five days. The Eagles knocked off the host Willits Wolverines 41-33 on Saturday, that coming two days after a 44-17 win at home against the Middletown Mustangs. Cloverdale’s week began with a 55-45 home victory over the Kelseyville Knights on Jan. 31.
“We’re happy with where we’re at,” Cloverdale coach Mac Butler said after a busy week for his Eagles squad.
Cloverdale lost to all three teams in their first go-around in league play, which made the victories that much sweeter, according to Butler.
In the win over Willits, the Eagles had to fight both the Wolverines and weary legs as they closed out a long week with a road game.
“It kind of looked like it was our third game of the week,” Butler said. “We had some heavy legs out there.”
Heather Sterling’s 14 points paced the Eagles in the win and she had all kinds of help from her teammates, especially Mikayla Crosby and Maci Hernandez. Both Crosby and Hernandez finished with double-doubles – Crosby had 10 points, 14 rebounds and two steals while Hernandez finished with 11 points and 10 rebounds.
Against Middletown on Feb. 2, Sterling again led the way with 17 points, Lane Hughes contributed eight rebounds and four steals, and Morgan Sceales finished with four points and six rebounds.
In the win over Kelseyville on Jan. 31, Sterling lit up the scoreboard for 27 points, 13 of those coming in the second quarter. She went 11-for-16 from the free-throw line and also had seven steals.
Other Eagles also turned in strong performances, including Hernandez with 12 points and eight rebounds, and Marina Lopez with 10 points and four steals. “It was one of our better games,” Butler said.
The Eagles went 5-for-15 from 3-point range. “That was the difference,” Butler said of the Eagles’ 3-point shooting.
Cloverdale closes out its league schedule with games at St. Helena (Feb. 7), home against Lower Lake on Friday, and at Fort Bragg on Feb. 14.
