After giving up 15 points and trailing by 3 at the end of the 1st, Coach Adam McClain and the Mauldin coaching staff knew they had to make defensive adjustments. They did just that, holding Clover to 26 points the next 3 quarters, 18 in the 2nd half and five in the fourth to win 52-41.
Early on it looked like Clover's 6ft 11 Senior Lawrence Pardee would give Mauldin fits. The big man had 7 of Clover's 1st 11, they came in the form of two drop-step dunks and a made three. After that though, Mauldin big man Drake Downs stepped up defensively holding Pardee to just 3 more field goals the rest of the night, as he finished with 13.
Mauldin adjusted to the flex cut offense Clover was running that got them looks around the rim early. The Maverick coaching staff started instructing the players to "jump and bump" (meaning play higher on the cut and put your body on the cutter to impede his progress). The on ball defense of the passer got better as the game wore on as well. As Mauldin in my opinion had "lower hands" than they should have early but had more active hands in the 2nd half.
The Mavericks were able to pull away that by turning their defense in too offense. Mauldin had 11 steals in the game, most coming after the break that led to transition buckets. Clover is a methodical type team, that excels in a slower half court style game. A big reason for their style of play comes from wanting to feed Pardee.
It wasn't always pretty offensively, as the Mavs shot just 36% from the floor and 13% from deep. However, their defense and a efficiency at the foul line going 14 of 16 for the game fueled the double digit win.
The "Byrd Man" Senior Caleb Byrd again led the Mavs in scoring with a team high 15. He is in my mind, one of the best rebounders for his size in the Upstate. Byrd had 6 boards (after having double-doubles the last two games), he also added 4 assists and 3 steals. Senior Big Drake Downs outplayed Pardee despite giving up 4 inches in height. Downs who has been fighting injuries of that had a baker's dozen of 13 points he also grabbed 7 boards. His back to back buckets at the end of the 3rd, going right at Pardee and using a ball fake to get him out of position sparked the late surge.
Sophomore Braden Hershberger has been a bright spot in the Mavs two playoff wins. "Hersh" had 13 points on a rather efficient 4 of 8 shooting night from the floor. He also was 4 of 4 from the free throw line. He dished out 3 assists in the win and dove to the floor to collect loose balls on multiple possessions. Junior Fred Pearson and Senior Eliziah Ballenger made an impact off the bench as well. While the duo didn't have wowing offensive numbers (5 points combined) they did have 5 steals and 7 rebounds collectively.
Mauldin will be on their home floor again Monday night. The Mavericks will take on Alabama commit Noah Clowney and the Dorman Cavaliers. Clowney is a 6ft 10 4-star senior headed to play for Nate Oats in Tuscaloosa. Mauldin will hope the third time is the charm, after Dorman swept the two game regular season series. It's no doubt "the Stable" which is one of the great game night atmospheres in the Upstate, will be rocking Monday when Dorman comes to town. In my mind, it's the biggest 3rd round game in the state. A Mauldin win would break Dorman's streak of 5 consecutive trips to the Upper State Title Game.
