The Cloverleaf Colts will take on the North Olmsted Eagles in a holiday battle at at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Cloverleaf is currently enjoying a perfect season and no doubt wants to keep things rolling.
While Cloverleaf didn't have the best season last year (they finished 8-15), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past. They secured a 59-55 W over Orrville on Saturday. Given the Colts' advantage in MaxPreps' Ohio basketball rankings (they are ranked 25th, while the Red Riders are ranked 242nd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
| 12/14/24 @ Orrville | 2 |
| 12/11/24 vs Ravenna | 7 |
| 12/06/24 vs Coventry | 4 |
| 12/04/24 vs Crestwood | 7 |
| 12/02/24 vs Buckeye | 8 |
Cloverleaf's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Evie Barth, who posted 15 points in addition to six assists and five boards. Barth is also crushing it when it comes to steals: she's grabbed at least two every time she's taken the court this season. Another player making a difference was Mackenzie Seiwerth, who had 12 points and three steals.
Cloverleaf smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 17 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive rebounds in nine consecutive matches dating back to last season.
Meanwhile, North Olmsted came up short against Bay on Saturday and fell 55-42. The Eagles were down 47-26 at the end of the third quarter, which was just too much to recover from.
Cloverleaf will need focus on slowing down Katie Strong, one of several North Olmsted players who made an impact when they last played. She went 7 of 9 on her way to 14 points. The dominant performance gave Strong a new career-high in points. The team also got some help courtesy of Rose Lane, who posted nine points and six steals.
Cloverleaf's victory bumped their record up to 7-0. As for North Olmsted, they have been struggling recently as they've lost three of their last four games, which put a noticeable dent in their 2-4 record this season.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Cloverleaf has crashing the boards this season, having averaged 33.7 rebounds per game. However, it's not like North Olmsted struggles in that department as they've been averaging 33.2 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Cloverleaf came up short against North Olmsted in their previous meeting back in November of 2023, falling 46-35. Can Cloverleaf avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
