Girls and boys have a strong week
The varsity basketball Eagles are on the verge of a coveted league championship this week following recent victories over NCL-1 foes Willits (40-34) and Lower Lake (63-50).
The wins pushed Cloverdale’s first-place record to 9-1 and 16-5 overall, two full games ahead of second-place Willits (7-3) and Kelseyville (7-3) with four dates left on the schedule.
At press time, the Eagles were preparing to host Middletown on Feb. 10, followed by a Friday, Feb. 13 visit to Fort Bragg. Cloverdale will wrap up the league campaign next week with home and away games against St. Helena (Feb. 17) and Clear Lake (Feb. 19). Start times for the JV and varsity are 6 and 7:30 p.m.
Meanwhile, the Lady Eagles (6-4, 11-7) began play this week in third place in the league after claiming wins over Willits (53-25) and Lower Lake 53-32). The ladies will embark on a three-game road swing beginning on Feb. 10 at Middletown, followed by visits to Fort Bragg (Feb. 13), and St. Helena (Feb. 17).
Boys rise to top
The Eagles took a major step toward the 2015 title on a Feb. 3 at two-time defending league champion Willits, employing an outstanding defensive effort to throttle the Wolverine’s offense. The Eagles yielded just three points in the opening quarter for an 11-3 lead, weathering a cold stretch in the second period to grab a 14-12 edge heading into the halftime locker room.
Cloverdale gained separation in the decisive third quarter, ripping off a 16-7 run to extend the advantage to 11, and held off a mild Willits rally in the final frame to post a 40-34 win.
“We played great defense all game,” Eagles coach Steve Bernardi said later, citing a fine effort by Adrian Bernardi in limiting Willits’ top scorer to just four points. “John McMillan had a great all around game and Greg Scaramella hit a clutch three-pointer when we really needed one.”
Pacing the Cloverdale attack were John McMillan (15 points, 13 rebounds), Marcus Poe (13 points, 3 rebounds), Jayson McMillan (7 points, 7 rebounds), Scaramella (3 points, 2 assists) and Adrian Bernardi (2 points, 3 boards, 2 steals).
The Eagles played host to visiting Lower Lake on Feb. 6, racing to a 15-9 advantage after one. Cloverdale took a 29-23 halftime lead and maintained the cushion in the final two quarters en route to a 63-50 win.
“This was a better offensive performance,” Steve Bernardi noted. “We took good shots and rebounded well.”
Top contributors for the Eagles included Poe (23 points, 11 rebounds), John McMillan 22 points, 10 boards), Jayson McMillan (9 points, 7 rebounds), Michael McDermott (5 points, 2 rebounds), Adrian Bernardi (3 points, 4 boards, 2 assists, 4 steals) and Scaramella (1 point, 7 assists, 2 steals).
Girls score wins
The Lady Eagles easily dispatched last week’s opponents, beginning with a dominant victory over visiting Willits on Feb. 3. Cloverdale jumped out to a commanding 37-17 advantage at the half and never looked back in an eventual 53-25 rout.
Top scorers for the Eagles were Angel Bernardi (15), Jordyn Turner (12), Teanne Edens (6), Arianna Fernandez (6), Jaedyn Jenkins (5), Karsyn Stewart (3) and two points apiece from Bailey Stewart, Paloma Santos, and Ale Perez.
It was more of the same in a Feb. 6 clash at Lower Lake, as the Eagles raced to a 17-3 cushion after one, before heading to the halftime locker room up 28-10. There was no let-up for Cloverdale after intermission in coasting to a 53-32 win.
Edens led the attack with 17 points, while other scorers included Angel Bernardi (11), Turner (10), Fernandez (6), Jenkins (4), Perez (2), Bailey Stewart (2) and Karsyn Stewart (1).
