The 2015/16 basketball campaign is shaping up as a good one for Cloverdale High School boys and girls teams, with both poised to kick off what figures to be a strong league season.
The defending NCL-1 champion varsity boys wrapped up a successful preseason schedule with participation in the annual Sonoma County Classic hosted by Piner High in Santa Rosa on Dec. 28-30, sandwiching a 58-29 loss to Cardinal Newman with wins over Mt. Eden (46-42) and Piner (54-38) to finish in third place.
At press time Cloverdale (8-2) was prepping for a Jan. 5 clash with Clear Lake in the league opener, followed by a Friday, Jan. 8 trip to Kelseyville (7:30 p.m.). The boys will wrap up their road swing on Tuesday, Jan. 12 at Middletown (7 p.m.).
The Eagles opened the SCC tourney with a Dec. 28 meeting with Mt. Eden, spotting their opponent a 29-15 halftime lead. Cloverdale got it rolling after intermission, stepping up its defensive play after intermission en route to a 46-42 win. Leading scorers included Jayson McMillan (17 points, 11 rebounds) and Marcus Poe (14 points, 9 rebounds).
“We outscored Mt Eden 15-3 in the third quarter to pull out the win,” CHS coach Steve Bernardi noted. “Defense was the key to victory.”
Cloverdale squared off with perennial power Cardinal Newman the following night, turning in its worst performance of the season in a disappointing 58-29 drubbing. Poe led the way with a team-high eight points, while Luke Pope chipped in six points for the Eagles.
The Eagles were back in the win column in the Dec. 30 getaway game against Piner, using a strong second half effort in coasting to a 54-38 win. McMillan (16 points) and Poe (14 points) led the way to earn All-Tournament honors.
“It was a good bounce back win against a confident opponent on their home court,” Bernardi noted. “Our offensive shooting improved and our defense was good.”
Girls on a roll
The CHS Lady Eagles (10-2) put the final touches on pre-league action at the West Coast Jamboree Tournament on Dec. 28-30, claiming third place in the Coral Division. Cloverdale posted a 73-57 win over Bay (San Francisco), fell to Chico (54-42) and defeated Branson (56-20).
The girls will enter league following their best preseason in years, and should be among the league favorites when they take the court at Clear Lake on Jan. 5 (after press time). The ladies will return home on Friday, Jan. 8 in a 7:30 p.m. tip-off against Kelseyville.
“This will be one of the most balanced leagues in recent years,” head coach Rick Berry predicted. “We’ll have to play our ‘A’ game every night in order to have any success.”
Cloverdale kicked off the West Coast Jamboree in convincing fashion on Dec. 28, logging a season-high point total in a 73-57 win over Bay. Pacing the Eagles’ attack were: Angel Bernardi (27 points), Teanne Edens (14 points), Ale Perez (11 points), Bailey Stewart (8 points), Karsyn Stewart (5 points), Jaedyn Jenkins (5 points) and Camryn Figueroa (3 points).
The girls ran into a solid Chico squad in game two, as Cloverdale was held to three points in the final period in a 54-42 loss. Top point-getters were Bernardi (13), Edens (8), Bailey Stewart (5), Jenkins (4), Perez (4), Figueroa (4) and Karsyn Stewart (4).
The Eagles righted the ship in the Dec. 30 battle for third place, swamping Branson, 56-20. Bernardi and Perez secured All-Tournament honors with 16 and 14 points respectively. Other offensive contributors were Karsyn Stewart (8), Edens (6), Ruby Stone (4), Figueroa (4), Jenkins (2) and Katie Edwards (2).
