Basketball Recap: Monrovia Takes Loss Despite Strong Efforts from Clay Tharp and Hayden Mccloud

Monrovia lost against South Putnam back in December of 2023 and unfortunately they wound up with the same result on Friday. The Monrovia Bulldogs took a 65-58 hit to the loss column at the hands of the South Putnam Eagles. While the Bulldogs didn't get the win, they did start the game off strong, beating the Eagles 21-12 in the first quarter.

Monrovia's defeat shouldn't obscure the performances of Hayden Mccloud, who went 6 of 11 en route to 23 points, and Clay Tharp, who went 5 for 11 on his way to 12 points and eight assists. Mccloud's evening made it three games in a row in which he has scored at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Hudson McCloud, who almost dropped a double-double on nine points and ten boards.

South Putnam found their leader in sophomore Isaac Garner, who went 9 of 12 on his way to 23 points and five assists. The dominant performance gave Garner a new career-high in assists. Khalil Jefferson was another key player, dropping a double-double on 17 points and ten rebounds.

Monrovia has been struggling recently as they've lost six of their last eight matches, which put a noticeable dent in their 5-9 record this season. That patch can't be blamed on the team's offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 57.1 points per game. As for South Putnam, their win ended a four-game drought on the road and puts them at 3-10.

Monrovia has already played their next contest, a 71-45 victory against Irvington Preparatory Academy on the 1st. As for South Putnam, they also wasted no time getting back out on the court and have already played their next game, a 67-40 win against Mooresville Christian on the 1st.