Girls basketball: Cloverleaf comes out hot, beats Woodridge

WESTFIELD TWP. — The Cloverleaf girls basketball team got off to a hot enough start to melt down the snow around the school Wednesday. The Colts came out on fire and easily knocked off Woodridge 59-43 in their Metro Athletic Conference matchup. Cloverleaf (13-4, 8-3) jumped all over the Bulldogs (9-9, 7-5), using pressure defense that turned into instant offense. "I think it was our 2-2-1 defense," said Makinsey Bayer, who had 15 points, four rebounds, four assists and two steals. "It's our identity, and we always go out strong with it. We're getting tips, and we can always get off to a strong start with the 2-2-1." The Colts scored the first eight points and followed a rare Bulldogs basket with 15 straight points to go ahead 23-2. "I think we were sharing the ball well," said Madi Young, who had 10 points, four rebounds, two assists and five steals. "I think that moving the ball around was key. That helps us with our scoring." The Colts had five assists on their first eight field goals. One of the three that didn't was a Young swipe-and-score with six seconds left in the opening period. Cloverleaf forced 10 first-quarter turnovers as Woodridge struggled to set up its offense. The Bulldogs attempted just five shots in the opening frame. "We just played to the pace that we want to play at," said guard Evie Barth, who had 19 points, three offensive rebounds and three steals. "We want to run in transition and that is what we did the entire first quarter." With Barth, Young and Kayla Shook (2 points, 3 rebounds, 3 steals, block) spearheading the defense, Cloverleaf forced 26 turnovers overall and made life miserable for the Bulldogs. While the defense set the table, the offense ate behind a solid start behind the 3-point line. The Colts got trifectas from Barth (2), Bayer and Young to spur the quick start and held a 23-4 lead after one quarter. "It was just our energy," Barth said. "We need a lot of bench energy. We need good energy on the court, and it is nice when there are a bunch of people here. That contributes to how we play and how we shoot the ball." The trio also accounted for 19 of the team's points in the first stanza and carried the offensive load for the remainder of the game, scoring 44 combined points. Woodridge fared a little better after the rough start but never got closer than 16. Kendall Seiwerth paced the bench bunch, scoring seven points and pulling down a team-best eight rebounds. Woodridge, behind Taylor Deering (15 points, 7-of-12 free throws) and Layla Frizzell (11, 10 rebounds), won the final three quarters 39-36. Contact Chad Grant at sports@medina-gazette.com. Cloverleaf 59, Woodridge 43 WOODRIDGE &emsp;&emsp;4 14 11 14 — 43 CLOVERLEAF &emsp;&emsp;23 15 9 12 — 59 Woodridge — Addy Hengstenberger 3-2-9, Layla Frizzel 5-1-11, Jo Mayer 1-0-2, Taylor Deering 4-7-15, Chelsey Taylor 0-0-0, Say'Vionna Taylor 1-2-4, Mikayla Taugner 1-0-2, Amiyah Perry 0-0-0, Cara Waddell 0-0-0, Alvinas Zabay 0-0-0. TOTALS: 15-12-43. Cloverleaf — Evie Barth 7-3-19, Merrin Crow 1-0-3, Kayla Shook 1-0-2, Kinsey Bayer 6-2-15, Madi Young 4-1-10, Cameron Todd 1-0-3, Kendall Seiwerth 2-3-7, Jayce Kreider 0-0-0, Selena Velez 0-0-0, Addie Evans 0-0-0, Delaney Bishop 0-0-0, Keegan Wittman 0-0-0, Samantha Porter 0-0-0. TOTALS: 22-9-59. 3-point goals — Hengstenberger, Barth 2, Bayer, Crow, Todd, Young. Rebounds — Woodridge 44 (Frizzell 10), Cloverleaf 28 (Seiwerth 8). Assists — Woodridge 3 (Perry, Taugner, C. Taylor), Cloverleaf 12 (Bayer 4). Records — Woodridge (9-9, 7-5), Cloverleaf (13-4, 8-3).