Boys basketball: Isaac Smith, Jimmy Tolley connect as Cloverleaf beats Coventry

Isaac Smith to Jimmy Tolley was the most prolific aerial connection for the Cloverleaf football team last fall. That carried over to the basketball court Tuesday night in a Metro Athletic Conference game at Coventry. Smith and Tolley did the heavy lifting from virtually start to finish, saving the sloppy Colts from themselves in a 61-51 decision that would have been a lot more interesting if the Comets weren't so offensively challenged. The smooth-operating Smith finished with 28 points, seven rebounds, eight assists and three steals, while hustle machine Tolley added a career-high 18 points and a game-high 11 rebounds. The other eight players in the rotation for the Colts (9-6, 6-5), who have won three straight and five of their last six, had only 15 points on 6-of-20 shooting, though guard Justus Sohosky's seven boards were critical given how badly Cloverleaf struggled to rebound on the defensive end in the first half. "I thought we just hustled and played physical," coach Lance Price said. "They obviously came out and knew to be physical with us, a smaller team. They started four bigs and they were ready to go, but Jimmy Tolley stepped up on the inside and Justus Sohosky as a guard was really great rebounding." Cloverleaf was inconsistent at best in the first half, as Smith scored its first eight points to offset an incredibly clunky team effort on the offensive end. The defense wasn't much better, but the Comets, who came in averaging a MAC-low 37.1 points, couldn't make open shots. Smith kept scoring to keep Coventry at arm's length, entering the locker room up 23-18. Price then decided to forcefully wake up his team by slapping on a man press that changed the complexion of the game and allowed the 6-foot-2 Tolley to get downhill attacking opportunities. Tolley responded with seven points in the decisive third quarter, when the Colts rode him, Smith, Jackson James and Damien Reed for extended minutes. The lead stretched well into double figures and the Comets (4-13, 4-8), who have lost 11 of their last 12, couldn't get back to two possessions the rest of the night. "Coming from not playing since seventh grade, he's learning the game," Price said of Tolley. "No foul trouble tonight, and we asked him to not only match but outdo their physicality. There was a play in the third quarter where he outhustled nine other people on the court." Coventry got 20 points from mid-range fadeaway specialist Brandon Rayam, while C.J. Ross dominated the glass in the first half en route to finishing with nine points and 10 rebounds. The Comets, who committed seven turnovers while losing the third quarter 19-13, shot 20-for-57 from the floor (.351), 2-for-16 from 3-point range (.125) and 9-for-21 at the foul line (.429). Their biggest problem, however, was they couldn't stop Tolley or Smith. The latter accounted for 18 of the Colts' 23 field goals via score or assist and upped his career scoring total to 954. "Isaac is a special kid, and Isaac understood we were down a few guys," Price said. "He had to step up and take control of the game, not only in scoring but getting his teammates involved." Contact Albert Grindle at (330) 721-4043 or agrindle@medina-gazette.com. Cloverleaf 61, Coventry 51 CLOVERLEAF &emsp;&emsp;14 9 19 19 — 61 COVENTRY &emsp;&emsp;7 11 13 20 — 51 Cloverleaf — Brody Adams 0-0-0, Owen Brownson 2-0-4, Jimmy Tolley 7-4-18, Zayne Trent 0-0-0, Isaac Smith 10-7-28, Justus Sohoksy 1-0-2, Damien Reed 2-1-6, Vincent Hinderman 0-0-0, Reed Kilgore 0-0-0, Jackson James 1-1-3, Matthew Jenkins 0-0-0, Clay Gucker 0-0-0, Jaden Thompson 0-0-0, Logan Jenkins 0-0-0. TOTALS: 23-13-61. Coventry — C.J. Ross 3-3-9, Brandon Rayam 8-4-20, Cody Basinger 2-1-5, Aaron Carter 4-0-9, Jayden Johnson 1-0-3, Jace Gurganus 0-1-1, Christian Coteat 2-0-4, David Garanich 0-0-0. TOTALS: 20-9-51. 3-point goals — Smith, Reed, Carter, Johnson. Rebounds — Cloverleaf 33 (Tolley 11), Coventry 27 (Ross 10). Assists — Cloverleaf 11 (Smith 8), Coventry 13 (Basinger, Johnson 3). Records — Cloverleaf (9-6, 6-5), Coventry (4-13, 4-8). Junior varsity — Coventry 60, Cloverleaf 36.