Ten Best: Cloverdale vs. Indian Creek
Cloverdale hosted Indian Creek on Friday night and if you are a fan of points, this one did not disappoint. Indian Creek defeated Cloverdale 97-76 much in part to their 68 percent shooting on the night. Indian Creek led by…
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Continue ReadingCloverdale hosted Indian Creek on Friday night and if you are a fan of points, this one did not disappoint. Indian Creek defeated Cloverdale 97-76 much in part to their 68 percent shooting on the night. Indian Creek led by 22 early in the second quarter but Cloverdale made a run to cut it to just a four point lead.
At the half, Indian Creek stretched that lead back out for the 21 point victory. Indian Creek shot 13-of-19 from behind the arc which spurred them to their second conference win.
Leading scorers: Cloverdale: Cooper Neese 45, Jalen Moore 20. Indian Creek: Tim Abel 23, Bryce Hogue 22, Jared DeHart 20, Zach Pugh 18.
Leading rebounders: Cloverdale: Cooper Neese 9. Indian Creek: Tim Abel 8, Jared DeHart 8, Trevor Ankney 8.
MVP: Cooper Neese (Cloverdale)
How could someone who scores 45 points on 30 shots not be the MVP. Even though his team lost, he scored over half their points and did it at all three levels. I had not seen Neese play since last year, where he was impressive and one of the top five shooters in Indiana. Now, his shot is better and he IS the best shooter in Indiana. Unlimited range and has the potential to score in many different ways. Commited to Butler.
Best offensive performance: Tim Abel (Indian Creek)
Coming in, we knew Abel is aggressive with the ball but tonight he was super aggressive with the ball. He led Indian Creek with 23 points but how he got those was impressive. He went 2-of-4 behind the arc and finished 7-of-10 from the field. He slammed home a baseline dunk and tried to dunk two more, but was fouled on each. He went 7-of-8 from the line as well. Nice, high, quick release as well. Abel had four fouls as well midway through and even sat for about five minutes.
Best defensive performance: Jalen Moore (Cloverdale)
Moore had three steals in the game and played pretty well on defense despite fouling out. He was active and quick with his hands and he also converted those steals into points. He was at the top of the zone and forced a few errant passes as well. A solid defender for his size.
Play of the Game: Cooper Neese drains a corner 3 to end the first quarter
With three seconds left in the first quarter and Cloverdale trailing, Jalen Moore hits Cooper Neese in the corner on the inbounds pass for the three.
Best under-the-radar performance: Zach Pugh (Indian Creek)
It is really hard to be under-the-radar with 18 points but with three other 20 plus scorers on his team, Pugh was just that. He made 4-of-5 from behind the arc sparking his team and was a perfect 4-for-4 from the charity stripe. He was firing on all cylinders tonight, as was his teammates.
Best intangibles: Jake Wilkes (Cloverdale)
Wilkes does not score much but he always brings the energy. Wilkes is a high motor kid who hustles on every play. He is very emotional which can be good at times, but also bad. He fouled out tonight but still played well.
Best shooter: Jared DeHart (Indian Creek)
DeHart may have been more impressive than Neese shooting the ball. He made six from behind the arc on only seven shots. Most of them were catch-and-shoot but after he hit a few you could see he was looking to score the ball. He finished with 20 points on 7-of-10 shooting and displayed a really smooth looking shot. He knew where to go to get open for his shots.
Best underclassman: Isaiah Jacey (Indian Creek)
One of the sophomores I have not mentioned is Jacey. He came in to relive Tim Abel as he sat due to foul trouble and he looked pretty good. He’s a small guard but can rebound well and shoot it well. He scored five second-chance points and grabbed a few rebounds.
Best rebounder: Trevor Ankney (Indian Creek)
Ankney is a solid guard and with a strong build he showed tonight that he can get to the boards. The 6’1 sophomore pulled down eight rebounds and was crashing hard all night long. He can really get up and that proved helpful for Indian Creek as he also scored a second-chance bucket.
Best takeaway: Cloverdale can score points especially when Moore is making shots. They need him to make them though because they will also allow a ton of points as we saw tonight. Indian Creek is a solid team with good shooters all-around. They play a tough schedule and they will be really good at the end of the year. May have trouble with size though inside.