The Cloverleaf Colts have a solid tradition of success on Northeast Ohio hardwoods under Head Coach John Carmigiano.
The Cloverleaf Colts have a solid tradition of success on Northeast Ohio hardwoods under Head Coach John Carmigiano.
This season, however, has tested the veteran leader. Youthfulness has been a thorn for the largely sophomore group of only two seniors and four juniors.
And Feb. 21, the opener of the tournament trail for the team and the host Chagrin Falls Tigers, a solid core of experience got the Tigers off to a flying start and they held on tight for a thrilling 55-44 win over the Colts.
“We need to get off to a hot start in every game out,” Tigers Head Coach Brittany Laseak said. “In some of our games, it took a while to get going, so getting off to a good start tonight was important.
“We knew coming in that Cloverleaf plays very competitive basketball all the time, and we knew they would come to play tonight with all they have. Once we got the early lead, they made some plays to get back into the game, but we settled in again late to get some key stops and key points to come out on top.”
Stifling defense and solid rebounding in the first period got the Tigers (14-9) off and running. Full-court double-teaming led to 10 first-period turnovers for Cloverleaf (8-15).
Getting the ball across mid-court was a chore for the Colts, who got off only seven shots, trailing the Tigers, 17-5, after one quarter.
The frenetic pace didn’t do the Tigers any good, either, as they hit on only five of 18 first-period shots. Seven of those misses, however, ended up back in Tigers possession. Conversely, the Colts had a whopping goose egg in that category.
Things changed in the second period, as the Colts more tightly corrected. Finally, a Norah Pope fast-break layup after a turnover gave the Tigers a 27-13 edge with less than a minute to go before halftime.
A 7-2 Cloverleaf run to open the fourth period made things interesting, and fouls entered the picture more heavily as well.
Amelia Bencko hit a pair of free throws with 5:55 left to stop the bleeding, and after Barth hit another basket for Cloverleaf, Bencko took an inbounds pass from Avery Russell to score, Elena Goodwin split a pair of free tosses, and Lilly Stukus hit a pair from the line with 3:23 left to open a 49-39 lead.
Bencko capped a six-of-six effort from the line in the last period, including four of four in the last 1:25 to seal the outcome.
Chagrin would next prepare for a Saturday game on their home court against Lutheran West, opponents that attended the Tigers-Colts matchup.
Bencko tallied 17 for the Tigers and six rebounds. Russell provided an inside punch at both ends of the floor with 16 points and six rebounds, as well, and Abby Kay fueled the smothering defense with four steals and five assists.
Chagrin had a 33-21 edge on the boards as they constantly kept missed shots alive and out of the hands of a Cloverleaf team that had a good conference season on the boards.
Both teams put home 16 baskets, but seven of those for Chagrin Falls came from beyond the arc, and the defense limited Cloverleaf sharpshooting guard Saige Foky to just seven points on two-of-17 shooting, most of them from way outside the line.
The quickness of the Tigers defense collapsed in a hurry when the Colts managed to get the ball near the hoop.
“We’re very young this year,” Coach Carmigiano said. “We just couldn’t play our normal game. It wasn’t the officiating that cost us this game, it was our inability to adjust to the officials and how they called the game, and we simply didn’t adjust or make plays well.
“Chagrin has a very quick team, too, so my hat is off to them.”
Evie Barth led Cloverleaf with 19 points, and Emma Hibler tallied eight, but keeping Foky from getting good shots, or even getting her hands on the ball, proved key to another Chagrin Falls victory.
