How are the Clover basketball teams set up with the end of region play approaching?
It may be considered coach-speak, but both coaches of the boys’ and girls’ basketball teams for the Clover Blue Eagles are sticking with it: They’re taking the season “one game at a time.”
In doing so, both Clover teams have put themselves in good positions ahead of the end of region play and the beginning of the 5A state playoffs.
In Tuesday’s game against Nation Ford (8-16, 0-6), Clover (16-7, 4-2) proved that it could execute its best asset: outside shooting. As a team, Clover hit 10 3-pointers in the game for a 59-46 win — and despite sitting in second place in the region behind Northwestern, Clover head coach Bailey Jackson won’t talk about the playoffs with two region games left.
“We shot the ball well,” Jackson said after his team’s win over Nation Ford. “We still have to take it one game at a time.”
The Blue Eagles were led by Markus Nastase, who dropped 16 points in the first quarter, including four 3-pointers, as Clover sprinted out to a 26-12 lead to open the game. Nastase played in a mask as he is dealing with a broken nose, which came in the Fort Mill game earlier this year during a dog pile that happened after a last second half-court shot forced overtime.
Jackson said the mask really doesn’t affect Nastase — who scored 25 points on Tuesday.
“He practices with it every day,” Jackson said. “It certainly didn’t affect him tonight.”
After the big lead in the first quarter, Clover settled down in the second quarter and scored just nine points in the second quarter, all on 3-pointers. Nation Ford struggled for the most part in the game shooting from the field hitting just 14 field goals, seven in each half. The Falcons were led by Gage Arbon, who scored 12 points.
While Clover is sitting mildly comfortable in the region, Nation Ford has their backs against the wall with two region games left against Northwestern and at Fort Mill. Clover still has to play Fort Mill and Rock Hill to finish their region schedule.
Clover girls closing in on region title
The No. 1 ranked Clover girls took another step closer to a region title on Tuesday with a 59-45 win over Nation Ford. The Blue Eagles improved to 6-0 in the region and 22-1 overall.
Clover has games against Fort Mill on Friday at home and will wrap up the region against Rock Hill. And despite being within sight of the finish line, Blue Eagles head coach Sherer Hopkins said she won’t think about a region title.
“We come to play every game, and we don’t think ahead,” Hopkins said. “We just have to prepare for the next game.”
Clover — and Aylesha Wade — looked like it had all season against Nation Ford: While Nation Ford kept the game close for the first half, Wade went on a 9-0 run on her own in the third quarter to allow the Blue Eagles to pull away. Wade led Clover with 22 points. Hopkins said she knew that the Falcons would be a tough opponent.
“They were prepared and had a game plan,” Hopkins said. “We didn’t shoot well to start.”
Clover missed 19 first-half shots but was able to cause nearly a dozen Nation Ford first-half turnovers. Wade came out in the third quarter and despite, the Falcons going on a 6-2 run to open, the guard took the game in her own hands and helped stop the Nation Ford run by scoring nearly all of the 16 third quarter points for Clover.
Nation Ford was led by Adrienne Ruffalo, who scored 14 points in the game. The Falcons fell to 12-11 overall and 2-4 in the region and sits just a half a game in front of Fort Mill in the region with two games left on their schedule, including a game against the Yellow Jackets.
Mac Banks: mbanks@comporium.net, @MacBanksFM