Cloverdale teams set for NCL-1 basketball campaign
The Lady Eagles put an exclamation point on a strong pre-league basketball campaign with a great performance at the West Coast Jamboree Tournament on Dec. 28-30 in Walnut Creek, winning all three games played in the Opal Division to hoist the first-place trophy.
Cloverdale, which had placed second in three straight tournaments prior to last week, scored wins over Mt. Shasta (39-38), Rosemont (48-33) and Albany (45-43) to claim the top prize.
The result pushed the Lady Eagles’ record to an impressive 8-3 as the team enters NCL-1 action this week. The girls will open league on Jan. 3 (after press time) with a home clash against Clear Lake, followed by a Friday, Jan. 6 visit to Kelseyville (7:30 p.m.).
Meanwhile, the Eagles varsity boy’s squad (5-3) didn’t fare as well in the annual Sonoma County Classic tourney hosted by Piner on Dec. 28-30, sandwiching a 55-35 win over Eureka with setbacks to Cardinal Newman (59-54) and Santa Rosa (49-37).
At press time the Eagles were preparing to open defense of their NCL-1 title on Jan. 3 at Clear Lake, and come home to host Kelseyville this Friday, Jan. 6 in a 7 p.m. varsity tip-off.
Ladies strike gold
The Lady Eagles set the tone in the Dec. 28 West Coast Jamboree opener against Mt. Shasta, with the teams waging a defensive battle that had Cloverdale clinging to a 21-19 edge at the half. Neither team could gain separation after intermission and the Eagles would do just enough down the stretch to escape with a 39-38 win.
Pacing the Cloverdale attack were Camryn Figueroa (21 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals), Tehya Bird (8 points, 11 rebounds), Kayli Persons (5 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists), Paloma Santos (3 points, 9 boards, 2 assists, 4 steals), Jaedyn Jenkins (2 points, 1 rebound, 3 assists, 2 steals), Shaye Stewart (3 rebounds, 1 steal), Ruby Stone (2 rebounds) and Katie Edwards (2 assists).
The ladies had an easier time against Rosemont in the winner’s bracket on Dec. 29, taking control with a 27-4 run in the second quarter for a 38-14 lead at the half. The Eagles maintained the advantage most of the final two periods en route to a 48-33 win. Bird led the way with 15 points, 9 boards, 1 assist and 5 steals. Other contributors were Figueroa (12 points, 5 boards, 2 steals), Persons (8 points, 9 rebounds, 1 assist, 4 steals), Stone (5 points, 1 rebound, 2 steals), Santos (4 points, 3 rebounds) and Jenkins (4 points, 2 boards, 4 assists, 4 steals).
The win set up a tourney title clash with Albany, another battle that would come down to the wire. Cloverdale took a 25-20 lead at the break but Albany ripped a 15-8 third quarter run to retake the lead at 35-33. Trailing by five with three minutes left, Bird nailed three of four at the foul line and Persons knocked down a critical three-pointer to lift the Eagles to an electrifying 45-43 win.
Bird had a sensational outing with 27 points10 rebounds and 5 steals. Other good efforts included Persons (8 points, 3 rebounds), Santos (6 points, 11 rebounds, 1 steal), Figueroa (4 points, 5 boards, 2 assists), Jenkins (3 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals), Stone (2 rebounds, 1 assist), Stewart (3 rebounds) and Edwards (1 steal).
Figueroa was named tourney MVP, while Bird and Santos were selected to the All-Tournament team.
Boys wrap up preseason
The boys varsity squad found the sledding tough at the Sonoma County Classic tourney, starting with a Dec. 28 match-up with perennial power Cardinal Newman. The Cardinals jumped out to a comfortable 49-34 lead after three, but the Eagles staged a wild fourth quarter comeback with a flurry of three-point bombs to fall just short in a 59-54 Newman win. Jayson McMillan poured in a team-high 19 points, while Gage Hoover chipped in 15 for the Eagles.
Cloverdale made short work of Eureka in the Consolation bracket on Dec. 29, stunning the Loggers with a 17-8 first-quarter run. The Eagles maintained the cushion for most of the next three periods on their way to a 55-35 rout. McMillan paced the attack with 22 points.
The Eagles came out flat in Friday’s Consolation title game against Santa Rosa, spotting the Panthers a 17-9 first quarter advantage. The Eagles got it rolling in the second quarter to even the contest at 27-all at the half. But the Cloverdale offense would go ice cold in the final two periods to manage just 10 more points en route to a disappointing 49-37 loss. McMillan led the way with 12 points to secure All-Tournament honors.
