A great coach once said that if you strive for perfection, you can achieve excellence.
That may be the case for the Cloverdale varsity boys basketball team this season, extending their overall record to a remarkable 17-0 under first-year head coach Jared Greninger.
The Eagles continued their unbeaten campaign in recent home and away wins over Fort Bragg and Lower Lake, vanquishing both in convincing fashion to extend their league-leading record to 7-0.
Cloverdale will try to keep it rolling when it finishes the week with a two-game road swing, starting with a visit to Kelseyville this Thursday, Jan. 27, followed by a Jan. 28 rematch at Fort Bragg. Tip-off times for the JV and varsity are 6 and 7:30 p.m.
Eagles stay perfect
The Eagles began their latest stretch on Jan. 18 against visiting Fort Bragg, stunning the Timberwolves with a 38-21 blitz in the first half. Cloverdale kept its foot on the gas after intermission, outscoring the visitors 33-22 in the final two frames to notch a 71-43 rout.
“We moved the ball well on offense and we were able to hit our open shots,” Greninger said later. “This was also one of our best defensive efforts of the season.”
Senior Dylan Muller paced the attack with a team-high 20 points while juniors Caden Axell and JJ Rodriguez chipped in 17 and nine points respectively.
It was more of the same when the Eagles traveled to Lower Lake on Jan. 25, stunning their host with a 22-15 first-quarter run on their way to a 40-24 halftime lead. Cloverdale held the Trojans to single digits in the third and fourth quarters in an eventual, 75-38 victory.
Muller torched the nets for a game-high 22 points, while other top point-producers were senior Joe Faso (14 points) and Rodriguez (7 points).
