The Lady Eagles continued to navigate at tough NCL1 varsity basketball schedule on Jan. 3, giving host Lower Lake all they wanted before falling to the Trojans in a hard-fought, 52-46 loss.
The setback pushed Cloverdale’s season record to 3-7 and 1-2 in league.
Young team on the rise
Despite experiencing a few bumps in the road, the relatively young Eagles’ squad has shown a steady improvement over the first two months of the season.
“It’s been a series of growing pains with a lot of promise,” CHS coach Mac Butler reported, citing the great job done by assistant coaches Natalie Pesce and Jaime Ogiamien to help develop this young team. “We’ve played a variety of opponents, both small and large schools, some that applied pressured, some that hurt us inside and some with the three-pointer. If we can rebound more consistently and reduce our turnovers I believe that we can compete with anybody in the NCL1.”
The Eagles have gotten good production from a variety of players, including contributions from three sophomores and one freshman. Veteran forward Summer Lands has provided leadership both on the court and in the locker room, while the emergence of talented sophomore Tylie Hatcher has been a pleasant surprise. Other team members are seniors Zoë Katz and Aaliyah Reyes, juniors Alexis Gutierrez, Trinity Vlasak, Teyla Caterugli and Maiya Fernandez, sophomore Rylee Reasoner and freshman Amara Galvan.
Eagles fall to Trojans
Cloverdale was locked in a tight battle at Lower Lake in the Jan. 3 clash of league rivals, staying within striking distance to trail 23-21 at the half. The Eagles surged into the lead with a strong, 16-10 third-quarter run, but turnovers in the final period allowed the Trojans to retake the lead. Lower Lake closed out the contest with a 19-8 fourth-quarter surge, en route to a 52-46 victory.
“Lower Lake’s fourth quarter full-court pressure resulted in five turnovers for us,” Butler noted. “It was a very tough game physically and emotionally, but I was proud of how the girls handled themselves. The attitude and effort was there but we struggled to slow the tempo down with the lead, and then struggled to score once we got behind.”
Hatcher led the attack with a team-high 17 points, 5 rebounds and three assists. Other good efforts came from Reasoner (9 points, 7 rebounds) and Katz (7 points, 3 steals).
JV team on a roll
The Lady Eagle’s JV squad (8-2, 3-0) has had an outstanding start to the winter season, winning eight of their first 10 contests, including three straight to start the NCL1 campaign. Cloverdale claimed Lower Lake as its latest victim, besting the Trojans, 44-33. Cami Donahoo had a sensational outing for the Eagles, pouring in a game-high 30 points while adding eight rebounds and two blocks.
Scheduling notes
With COVID infections on the rise, the scheduled Jan. 5 game with Fort Bragg has been postponed. Next up for the varsity girls is a non-league home clash with Orland this Saturday, Jan. 8 at 4 p.m. The ladies will host St. Helena next Tuesday, Jan. 11. Start times for the JV and varsity are 5 and 7 p.m.
