Varsity boys and girls land high seeds in NCS tournament
Playoff basketball is in the air this week, as both Cloverdale High School varsity teams prepare for what could be a protracted postseason run.
Last week both teams swept their respective league playoff tournaments, as the NCL-1 champion Eagles beat Kelseyville and Fort Bragg in the boys tourney, while the girls notched wins over regular season co-champions Kelseyville and Middletown.
On Sunday, both teams garnered the respect of the North Coast Section Division-5 seeding committee, awarding the boys with the number five seed, while the girls landed the number two seed in their respective tournament.
At press time the varsity boys (25-4) were preparing for a Wednesday, Feb. 24 clash with visiting 12th seeded Redwood Christian at 6:30 p.m. Should the Eagles win, they will advance to face the winner of the Stuart Hall-Upper Lake game on Saturday, Feb. 27 (time and location TBD).
After clinching their second straight league title last week and the NCL-1 tournament, the Cloverdale boys enter the playoffs as one of the hottest teams in the Division-5 bracket.
“We’re looking forward to playing well in the playoffs and trying to upset some higher seeded teams,” Eagles coach Steve Bernardi said. “I’m proud of the way this team fought adversity to come back and win 10 in a row to secure our second straight league title.”
The complete list of NCS Division-5 boys teams in seeding order is; St. Joseph Notre Dame, Urban, University, Stuart Hall, Cloverdale, Branson, Bentley, College Prep, Mendocino, St. Vincent, Head Royce, Redwood Christian, Upper Lake, South Fork, Bay School of SF and Sonoma Academy.
Meanwhile the Lady Eagles (22-6) are gearing up to host number 15 Bentley following the boys game on Feb. 24 in an 8 p.m. tip-off. If Cloverdale wins it will advance to host the survivor of the Sonoma Academy-College Prep game in the NCS quarterfinals on Feb. 27 (time TBD).
“We’re playing well at the right time,” Lady Eagles coach Rick Berry noted, before adding, “We’re very happy with the number two seed for NCS.”
Boys roll in league playoffs
Cloverdale was riding the wave of a title-clinching 75-54 win over Fort Bragg in the league finale when the team took the court against Kelseyville in the NCL-1 playoff tournament at Mendocino College on Feb. 19, busting open a tight game with a 16-6 second-quarter run for a 30-22 halftime lead.
The Eagles closed it out with a strong surge in the final period en route to a 62-44 win. Top scorers included Jayson McMillan (19 points, 13 rebounds) and Jordan Persons (13 points).
The victory set up a tourney title clash with Fort Bragg, using a strong second-quarter surge to grab a 22-19 lead at the break. The Eagles gained separation with a decisive, 20-8 run in the third period, and maintained the advantage in an eventual 55-42 win. McMillan (19 points, 18 rebounds) and Gage Hoover (16 points) paced the attack for the Eagles.
Ladies on a roll
The Lady Eagles find themselves in the catbird seat entering the NCS Division-5 playoffs, with a league tourney title and a six-game win streak on their resume.
Cloverdale finished up league on Feb. 16 with a 52-41 win at Fort Bragg before facing Kelseyville in the NCL-1 playoff opener at Mendocino College three nights later.
The Eagles got off to a sluggish start to trail 26-23 at the half, but pitched a 17-0 shutout in the third quarter on their way to a 55-41 victory.
Pacing the attack were Angel Bernardi (26 points, 10 rebounds, 6 assists, 4 steals), Karsyn Stewart (9 points, 6 rebounds), Teanne Edens (7 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist), Ale Perez (4 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals), Bailey Stewart (3 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal), Jaedyn Jenkins (2 points, 1 assist) and Camryn Figueroa (1 point, 4 rebounds).
The win advanced the girls into the tourney championship with the Middletown Mustangs on Feb. 20, taking charge from the opening tip for a 28-14 halftime lead. The Eagles used a great defensive effort after intermission in cruising to a 42-29 win.
Top point-producers for Cloverdale were Bernardi (14 points, 6 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 assist), Perez (11 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 2 steals), Karsyn Stewart (9 points, 5 boards, 1 assist), Edens (7 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal) and Bailey Stewart (1 point, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals).
