Cloverdale High School varsity basketball teams enter the final stretch of league play this week, hopeful that a strong finish will land them a high seed in the upcoming North Coast Section playoffs.
The varsity boys made a huge move in the NCL-1 standings last week to move into a first-place tie with Lower Lake, recording wins over Kelseyville (57-45), Middletown (67-35) and Willits (56-36).
At press time the Eagles and Lower Lake had identical 10-2 records, followed by Kelseyville (7-4), Fort Bragg (7-4), Clear Lake (6-5), Willits (3-8), Middletown (1-9) and St. Helena (1-9).
“It was a good week, winning three games we had to win,” Eagles coach Steve Bernardi said. “This team always plays good defense, but it was nice to see us really improve offensively.”
The Eagles (20-4 overall) will wrap up the league schedule with games at St. Helena (Feb. 9, after press time), and home against Lower this Friday, Feb. 12 (7:30 p.m.).
Cloverdale will host Fort Bragg next Tuesday, Feb. 16 (Senior Night) in a 7 p.m. tip-off.
Meanwhile the Lady Eagles suffered a crueler fate, weathering successive losses to Kelseyville (58-42) and Middletown (38-37), before bouncing back to beat Willits (62-37).
The losses may have ended the girls’ title hopes, but they remain very much in the NCS playoff picture at 7-4 in league and 17-6 overall.
Cloverdale will close out the season with games against St. Helena (Feb. 9), at Lower Lake (Feb. 12, 7:30 p.m.), and at Fort Bragg on Feb. 16 (7 p.m.).
Boys score hat trick
The Eagles played their best basketball of the season in three must-win games, starting with a Feb. 2 meeting with visiting Kelseyville. After a tight first half, the Eagles busted it open with a 24-8 third-quarter run.
Kelseyville made a late run in the final period but Cloverdale hung on for a 57-45 win. Top scorers included Jayson McMillan (19 points) and Marcus Poe (13 points).
It was all Eagles in their Feb. 4 meeting with Middletown, using an outstanding defensive effort in powering to a 67-35 win. Pacing the attack were Mike McDermott (17 points), McMillan (13 points) and Travis Kitowski (11 points).
Cloverdale finished up a busy week on Feb. 6 at Willits, racing to a commanding 32-10 advantage at the half enroute to a 55-36 rout. McMillan poured in a team-high 15 points.
Girls take one of three
The Lady Eagles ventured into hostile territory in a Feb. 2 visit to Kelseyville, hanging tough to trail 31-24 at the half.
Cloverdale stayed within striking distance in the third period, but was held to just four points in the fourth quarter in a 58-42 Kelseyville win.
Leading scorers for the Eagles were Teanne Edens (18 points, 16 in first half), Angel Bernardi (8 points), Karsyn Stewart (5 points), Ale Perez (4 points), Bailey Stewart (3 points), Jaedyn Jenkins (2 points) and Camryn Figueroa (2 points).
The girls came out on the short end of a heartbreaker at Middletown on Feb. 4, as the teams waged a spirited battle that came down to the final seconds. Trailing 31-27 after three, the Eagles made a late run that fell just short, as Middletown hung on for a 38-37 win.
“We had to play catch-up in the second half,” CHS coach Rick Berry said. “The girls battled and never gave up.”
Karsyn Stewart had her best game of the season with 15 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists and one steal. Other good efforts were had by Edens (10 points, 5 rebounds), Bernardi (9 points, 1 rebound) and Bailey Stewart (2 points, 3 boards).
The girls were back in winning form on Feb. 6 against visiting Willits, outscoring the Wolverines 30-14 in the second half to notch a 62-37 win. Bernardi enjoyed a great outing with 18 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals. Also in the scoring column were Figueroa (16 points, 3 boards, 4 assists, 1 steal), Karsyn Stewart (6 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 1 steal), Edens (6 points, 9 boards, 2 steals), Jenkins (5 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 1 steal), Bailey Stewart (4 points, 6 rebounds), Perez (3 points, 3 boards, 2 assists, 2 steals), Ruby Stone (2 points, 1 rebound) and Katie Edwards (2 points).
