CLOVER – It may be considered coach speak, but both coaches of the boys and girls’ basketball teams for the Clover Blue Eagles are sticking with the clique of taking “one game at a time.”
In doing so, both Clover teams have set themselves up for a spot in the 5A state playoffs as they swept the Nation Ford Falcons Tuesday evening.
The Clover boys, which are 16-7 overall, and now 4-2 in Region 3-5A, while Nation Ford fell to 0-6 in the region and 8-16 overall. As a team, Clover hit 10 3-pointers in the game for a 59-46 win over the Falcons. And despite sitting in second place in the region behind Northwestern, Clover head coach Bailey Jackson won’t talk about the playoffs with still two region games left.
“We shot the ball well,” said Blue Eagles head coach Bailey Jackson. “We still have to take it one game at a time.”
The Blue Eagles were led by 25 points from 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 as that game went into overtime on a last second half-court shot. Jackson said the mask really doesn’t affect Nastase.
“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 with a 59-45 win over Nation Ford as the Blue Eagles improved to 6-0 in the region and 22-1 overall.
While Nation Ford kept the game close for the first half, Clover’s Aylesha Wade went on a 9-0 run on her on in the third quarter to allow the Blue Eagles to pull away. Wade led Clover with 22 points. Blue Eagles head coach Sherer 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 turnovers which allowed them to take a 24-14 lead at the half. 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 to 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 Jackets.
Clover has games against Fort Mill this Friday at home and will wrap up the region against Rock Hill. And despite being within sight of the finish line, 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.”
Mac Banks: mbanks@comporium.net, @MacBanksFM
