If the Clover Blue Eagles were feeling good off their 91-46 takedown of the York Cougars on Thursday, their most recent game may have dampened their spirits a bit. Clover was just a bucket shy of victory on Saturday and fell 61-60 to Huss. The loss was a bit of a surprise, as Clover came into the match with a sizable advantage in MaxPreps's basketball rankings in their respective home states (they are ranked 94th in South Carolina, while Huss is ranked 228th in North Carolina).
Clover's loss came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Jaylon Hoover, who scored 17 points. The match was Hoover's fourth in a row with at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Trenton Palumbo, who scored 9 points along with 9 rebounds.
Huss' win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Zaiyir 'Zii' Phillips, who scored 17 points along with 7 steals and 5 assists. The contest was Phillips' third in a row with at least ten points. Je'syon 'JP' Payne was another key contributor, scoring 14 points.
Clover's loss dropped their record down to 2-2. As for Huss, their win bumped their record up to 1-2.
Both teams are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Clover will take on Tasmania National Intensive Training (Prospect, Australia) at 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Huss will be home for the holidays to greet North Gaston at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. North Gaston is coming into the matchup on a four-game losing streak.
