Basketball Game Preview: Owen Valley Patriots vs. Cloverdale Clovers

Owen Valley and Cloverdale are an even 5-5 against one another since February of 2015, but not for long. The Owen Valley Patriots will host the Cloverdale Clovers at 7:30 p.m. on Friday.

Last Friday, Owen Valley was beaten by Covenant Christian 78-29. The game marked the Patriots' lowest-scoring matchup so far this season.

Owen Valley's defeat came about despite a quality game from Dillon Bell, who made all 5 shots he took to post 13 points. Those 13 points gave Bell a new career-high.

Meanwhile, even if it wasn't a dominant performance, Cloverdale beat Robinson 65-60 last Saturday. Given the Clovers' advantage in MaxPreps' basketball rankings in their respective home states (they are ranked 244th in Indiana, while the Maroons are ranked 596th in Illinois), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Owen Valley better keep an eye on Jahaven Duncan. He was instrumental in Cloverdale's win, going 10 of 24 on his way to 34 points and four steals. Duncan's morning made it ten games in a row in which he has scored at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Ishmael Kiteka, who almost dropped a double-double on nine points and 11 rebounds.

The win got Cloverdale back to even at 5-5. As for Owen Valley, they dropped their record down to 2-8 with the loss, which was their fifth straight at home dating back to last season.

Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Owen Valley has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 22.3 boards per game. However, it's not like Cloverdale struggles in that department as they've been averaging 31.4 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.

Owen Valley beat Cloverdale 49-38 in their previous matchup back in January of 2024. Will Owen Valley repeat their success, or does Cloverdale have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.