Cloverdale moves on as No. 7 seed in CIF Nor Cal State playoffs
The Lady Eagles are North Coast Section champions for the first time in 35 years, claiming the coveted Division 5 pennant on Feb. 29 in a hard-fought, 54-45 victory over visiting Branson.
The No. 1 seeded Eagles drew a bye to open the NCS tournament and scored a 64-31 rout over No. 8 Clear Lake on Feb. 22 to move into the quarterfinals. Cloverdale made easy work of No. 4 ranked Upper Lake in a 77-56 romp on Feb. 26 to set up Saturday’s historic championship clash with Branson.
“I don’t think most people have any idea how much these girls have sacrificed or how hard they have worked for their success,” veteran coach Rick Berry said. “This is the first time since I’ve been coaching that we’ve won the section. We’ve come in second with some really good teams, but we were in Division 4 then and had a hard time competing with the larger private schools.”
Cloverdale (23-2) will now focus on the final phase of the season after earning the No. 7 seed in the prestigious CIF Nor Cal State Division 4 playoffs.
At press time the Eagles were preparing to host No. 10 Enterprise on March 3, with the survivor advancing to play the winner of the No. 2 Argonaut versus No. 15 Chico game on Thursday, March 5 at 7 p.m. (location TBD).
The placement of the Eagles in Division 4 in Nor Cals is a puzzling one for many, since Cloverdale is considered a Division 5 school based on enrollment.
“We’re very disappointed to be in Division 4 for Nor Cals,” Berry noted. “We worked so hard and earned a No. 4 rank in the state for Division 5 where we feel we could compete. Our school size should dictate that we are D-5, so I have no idea why we would be moved to D-4.”
Eagles capture crown
Cloverdale set the tone early in the Feb. 26 semifinal clash with No. 4 Upper Lake, swamping the Cougars with an 18-8 first-quarter run. Leading 34-26 at the half, the Eagles iced the contest with a 25-point third-quarter explosion and never let up en route to a 77-56 rout.
Senior Tehya Bird turned in a monster game with 38 points, 20 rebounds, four assists and 7 steals. Other top contributors were Ahnna Randolph (13 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals), Catherine Driver (14 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, 4 steals), Faith Holloman (4 points, 3 rebounds, 2 steals), Alyssa Moffett (3 points, 2 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals), Summer Lands (2 points, 4 rebounds), Maci Hernandez (2 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals) and Morgan Sceales (1 point, 4 rebounds).
Cloverdale took the court in front of a packed house in Saturday’s NCS championship game against No. 2 Branson, with a large student section exploding with every basket.
The visitors served notice in the opening quarter, holding the Eagles to just seven points to grab an 11-7 lead. Cloverdale got it going in the second period with a 16-8 run to re-take a 23-21 edge at the break.
“We came out slow, they were up 7-2, but we came back and were up at half,” Berry noted. “Branson kept coming at us, but every time they made a run we responded.”
The Eagles were locked in a tight battle throughout the third period as Branson wrestled away the momentum to lead 43-41 heading into the final stanza. But the Eagles would not be denied in this one, as Bird’s relentless inside game, along with a rare three-point dagger, helped her team surge into the lead for good in powering to an eventual, 54-45 win.
“This was a complete team victory,” Berry said. “The home court advantage was huge, it was standing room only both nights. The best chant of the week was when the student section began chanting, ‘start the Tesla’s’ to the Branson crowd toward the end of the fourth quarter.”
Top point-producers for the Eagles were Bird (23 points, 10 boards, 2 assists, 4 steals), Holloman (14 points, 4 rebounds, 4 steals), Driver (9 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals), Hernandez (6 points, 18 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals), Randolph (4 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals), Janaye Hammond (2 assists), Lands (3 rebounds) and Sceales (3 rebounds).
Team notes
Whatever happens in the final phase of the 2019-20 campaign will be icing on the cake for the Eagles, who’ve already secured their place among the top girl’s basketball teams in school history.
“It has been a privilege to coach this team; all nine players are amazing people who give me great hope in the future of our society and community,” Berry reflected. “We will go out and compete against anyone and give them a game.”
