Cloverdale No. 13 seed; opens up at No. 4 Head Royce
Playoff fever is invading the Cloverdale High School campus this week, as the Eagles get set for what is hoped will be a protracted run in the North Coast Section basketball tournament.
At press time Cloverdale (15-10) represented the No. 13 seed in the 16-team NCS Division 5 tourney, preparing to open the playoffs at No. 4 Head Royce of Oakland. Should the Eagles win, they’ll advance to play the survivor of No. 5 Hoopa Valley versus No. 12 Urban on Saturday, Feb. 16 (time and location to be determined).
The complete list of NCS Division 5 teams in seeding order is: Stuart Hall, University, Clear Lake, Head Royce, Hoopa Valley, College Prep, Bentley, Athenian, Marin Academy, Berean Christian, Sonoma Academy, Urban, Cloverdale, St. Helena, Upper Lake and The Bay School.
Eagles close out league
Cloverdale turned in a disappointing final week of NCL 1 play, starting with a Feb. 5 visit to unbeaten Clear Lake. The Eagles played the Cardinals on nearly even terms for three of four quarters, but never recovered from a 17-5 Clear Lake run in the second period as the Cardinals powered to a 72-57 win.
Pacing the Cloverdale attack were Josh Lemley (20 points, 6 boards), Mario Lopez (16 points), Shayne Turner (7 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals), Spencer Hoover (5 points, 7 rebounds) and Chuche Maciel (5 points, 2 boards, 3 assists).
The Eagles got off to a disastrous start in the league finale at St. Helena on Feb. 7, as the Saints raced to a surprising 42-15 halftime lead. Cloverdale fought an uphill battle the rest of the way as St. Helena cruised to a 69-55 victory.
Lemley led the offense with 24 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks. Other top scorers included Turner (16 points, 4 boards), Maciel (6 points, 3 steals) and Andres Herrera (4 points, 3 assists, 3 steals).
