The first game saw the host Sparkplugs face off against Covenant Christian.  From the tip, it was Covenant Christian that came out as the aggressors, taking the action right to Speedway and not backing down against the most athletic Sparkplugs.  Max Leary, a 6'1 forward, was able to maneuver inside for five early points.

 

The lone early bright spot for Speedway was the play of freshman Chris Valentine.  He scored all of Speedway's points in the quarter on a couple of drives and a three pointer from the right corner.

 

Anthony Jones, Speedway's 6'4 senior wing, struggled to get many good looks against Covenant's collapsing defense. Anytime Jones drove, there were two and three Warriors in the paint waiting for him.  This resulted in Jones settling for contested jumpers, often early in the possession.

 

The Warriors would get a boost off the pine in the second from senior guard Jacob Marsh.  Marsh showed off his unorthodox shooting stroke by draining a pair of triples in the period, helping Covenant maintain an 11 point lead into the halftime break.

 

Teams would trade baskets coming out of the locker room, with Covenant starting the quarter on a 6-0 run, but Speedway would answer with junior Shannon Hall.  The 6'1 powerfully built forward would respond with five straight points of his own to stem the tide.

 

Anthony Jones ditched the jumpshot and began attacking the rim, spinning for acrobatic layups and finding teammates when double teams came.  His team could not put a dent into their deficit, however, and the margin remained at 11.

 

Covenant would open their lead in the fourth thanks to the play of senior guard Chris Seifert.  Seifert was able to handle the pressure of Speedway's guards and get to the lane for layups or draw fouls.  He responded by calmly stepping to the stripe and converting, giving the Warriors some breathing room.

 

And they would need that breathing room.  Anthony Jones would be injured on a drive to the rim and have to leave the game halfway through the fourth, but his teammates would respond with a final run of their own.  Freshman Chris Valentine would score six in the run on drives and hustle plays.  

 

A Shannon Hall three with just over 45 seconds left would cut the margin to six, but it was too little, too late as Covenant closed the game out from the line and would win 61-50.

 

Covenant Christian 15  11  15  20  -  61

Speedway               7  10  13  20  -  50

 

Covenant Christian: Max Leary 17 pts (8/12 FGs), 8 rbs; Chris Seifert 12 pts (3/3 FGs, 6/7 FTs); Ethan Smith 10 pts; Jordan Webb 8 pts, 8 rbs, 6 ast, 2 stl; Zyan Davis 6 pts; Jacob Marsh 6 pts; Jonathan Bradley 2 pts

 

Speedway: Chris Valentine 15 pts (5/9 FGs, 4/5 FTs), 4 rbs; Shannon Hall 15 pts (6/16 FGs); Anthony Jones 8 pts (4/15 FGs), 6 rbs; Davon Klotz 4 pts; Isaiah Hubbard 3 pts; Joe Curran 3 pts; Sam Ahrens 2 pts

 

Covenant Christian advances to Fridays semifinals against Cloverdale.

 

 

 

In the second game of the evening, Cloverdale used a 1-2-1-1 press to force a multitude of turnovers in a blowout win over South Putnam.

 

The Clovers sophomore class made sure that they got started on the right foot, as Cooper Neese and Duke Duff each hit a pair of triples in the opening period.  When the threes weren't raining down on South Putnam, they were picked apart, literally, by Marquise Moore.  The diminutive senior guard made a big impression, forcing several turnovers by himself.  The Clovers would total 11 steals in the quarter and jump out to a 27-8 lead after a quarter.

 

It was more of the same in the second, as South Putnam point guard Jacob Schroer was often times left alone to deal with Cloverdale's press, and the results were not good for the Eagles.  The margin would grow to 31 at the half as Marquise Moore and Cooper Neese would pick off passes that routinely led to layups.

 

By the time Cloverdale coach Pat Rady pulled his starters midway through the third period, the lead had stretched to 50 at 67-17.  From there, the reserves would play out the string.  Freshman Jalen Moore, younger brother of Marquise, would show promise for the future by scoring both in the paint and from behind the arc en route to a 47 point Cloverdale win.

 

Cloverdale       27 19  21  12  -  79

South Putnam   8   7   6  11  -  32

 

Cloverdale: Cooper Neese 18 pts (6/9 FGs, 4/7 3Ps), 4 rbs, 4 stl; Marquise Moore 17 pts (8/13 FGs), 7 ast, 5 stl; Jalen Moore 13 pts; Duke Duff 9 pts (3/3 3Ps); Kendall Coleman 7 pts, 3 blk; Brantson Scott 6 pts; Nick Winders 5 pts; Brenan Hall 2 pts; Ryan Heavener 2 pts

 

South Putnam: Chad Menke 10 pts (4/9 FGs), 11 rbs; Jacob Schroer 9 pts (3/5 FGs); Trevor Long 6 pts; Josh Stewart 3 pts; Berndt Freeman 2 pts; Blake Clearwaters 2 pts

 

Cloverdale will face Covenant Christian in the second semifinal on Friday evening.