The Cloverdale Clovers and the South Vermillion Wildcats will face off at 8:30 p.m. on December 26th without much rest after finishing up games yesterday. Cloverdale is out to stop a 12-game streak of losses at home dating back to last season.
Last Saturday, Cloverdale was able to grind out a solid victory over Riverton Parke, taking the game 44-35. That 44-35 margin sets a new team best for Cloverdale this season.
Cloverdale's success was spearheaded by the efforts of Eli Kelley, who scored ten points along with five rebounds and three steals, and Houston Jobe, who scored 19 points along with six rebounds. That's the first time this season that Jobe scored 15 or more points. Another player making a difference was Noah Betz, who scored seven points along with five rebounds and three blocks.
Meanwhile, South Vermillion had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 8 points), and they went ahead and made it three on Saturday. They skirted past Clay City 54-52. Despite the victory, that was the fewest points South Vermillion has scored all season.
South Vermillion's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Brayson Shoults, who dropped a double-double on 12 points and ten rebounds. The matchup was Shoults' sixth in a row with at least ten points. Luke Bush was another key contributor, scoring 11 points along with five assists and four steals.
Cloverdale's win bumped their record up to 1-6. As for South Vermillion, their win bumped their record up to 5-1.
Keep an eye on the arc in Tuesday's matchup: Cloverdale have made nailing deep shots look easy this year this season, having only averaged 5.2 threes per game. However, it's not like South Vermillion struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 8.3 threes per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Cloverdale was dealt a bruising 59-27 defeat at the hands of South Vermillion in their previous matchup back in December of 2022. Will Cloverdale have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more basketball content.
