The Lady Eagles completed one of the best basketball seasons in school history on March 5, falling at No. 2 seeded Argonaut, 60-49 in the CIF Nor Cal State playoffs.
The loss gave Cloverdale a final season record of 25-4.
“These girls willed themselves to be the first public school to win a NCS Division 5 title since 1995 and it’s been an honor to be their coach,” CHS coach Rick Berry reflected. “I will never forget them, not just because of the winning season, but because of the memories we have created together and how they have touched me.”
Just a few days removed from capturing the North Coast Section Division 5 title, the Eagles entered the Nor Cal Division 4 tournament as the No. 7 seed, opening up with a dominant, 62-40 win over visiting Enterprise (of Redding) on March 3.
Cloverdale led 14-10 after one, but closed out the half on a 21-6 run for a decisive, 35-16 halftime cushion. There was no let-up after the break as the Eagles powered to a 22-point margin of victory.
“It was fun to play in front of our home crowd, we played very well and had a complete game effort as a team,” Berry noted. “Our defensive intensity really set the tone and we had really good ball movement throughout the game.”
Senior Tehya Bird was unstoppable with a team-high 31 points, 17 rebounds, one assist and two steals. Other top contributors were Catherine Driver (14 points, 4 rebounds, 8 assists), Faith Holloman (6 points, 5 rebounds, 1 steal), Ahnna Randolph (5 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists), Morgan Sceales (2 points, 1 steal), Maci Hernandez (2 points, 8 rebounds), Summer Lands (4 rebounds) and Janaye Hammond (1 rebound).
The win propelled the team into the Nor Cal quarterfinals at No. 2 Argonaut in Jackson on March 5, a three-and-a-half hour drive. The CHS boosters treated the Eagles to a chartered bus, with another load of Cloverdale fans packing onto another bus for the trek.
The game started well for the Eagles, keeping it close in the face of an intense Mustang defense to trail, 15-13 after one. The Cloverdale offense went cold in the critical second period, with Argonaut finishing the quarter on a 17-7 surge for a 32-20 halftime lead. The teams played on even terms throughout the second half, but the Mustangs would not relinquish the lead en route to a 60-49 Argonaut win.
A telling stat were the Eagle’s struggles from the foul line, converting just 15 of 30 free throws.
Pacing the Cloverdale offense were Bird (21 points, 8 rebound, 3 steals), Holloman (13 points, 1 rebound), Hernandez (6 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal), Randolph (4 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist), Alyssa Moffett (3 points, 2 assists) and Driver (2 points, 12 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals).
