McAuley’s 22 points pace Clear Lake in win; Lower Lake falls in OT to Round Valley
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ST. HELENA >> St. Helena built a 28-18 halftime lead and went on to beat the Middletown Mustangs 62-54 in the varsity boys championship game of the Sutter Home Invitational basketball tournament on Saturday night in St. Helena.
“We broke their press early but did not move the ball very well in the half-court set,” Middletown head coach Jake Diehl said. “We were stagnant. Our defense wasn’t terrible, but St. Helena just couldn’t miss the basket if they tried tonight. Hats off to them.”
Anthony Bowerman finished with 18 points as the Mustangs fell to 3-1 on the season. All-Tournament selection Bodhi Moore finished with 16 points, including three 3-pointers, and Jon Hawkins just missed a third consecutive double-double with nine points and 13 rebounds. Harrison Brown (three points) also was named to the All-Tournament team.
Middletown opens its North Central League I schedule Tuesday in Cloverdale, part of a three-game set that also features junior varsity boys and varsity girls contests. Play begins with the JV boys at 4 p.m., followed by the varsity girls at 5:30 p.m. and the varsity boys at 7 p.m.
In other boys basketball action Saturday:
Herb Jergentz Tournament
Clear Lake 64, Anderson 58
At Durham, Zane McAuley’s 22 points helped lift the Clear Lake Cardinals to their first win of the season in the seventh-place game of the Herb Jergentz Tournament.
Jesse Hayes added 16 points and Kaden Graham finished with 10 in the hard-fought seesaw battle.
“We closed the game with some key free throws by Jesse and Kaden,” Clear Lake head coach Mark Cory said. “We also dealt with illness and foul trouble to get the win.”
Clear Lake improved to 1-2 on the season.
The Cardinals open their league schedule Tuesday night in St. Helena.
In the junior varsity bracket of the Herb Jergentz Tournament, Clear Lake beat Oroville 65-54 in the seventh-place game to register its initial win of the 2024-25 season.
“It was a good feeling for our team to get off the schneid and get our first win of the season,” Clear Lake head coach Shady Cerezo said.
Ayden Moreno’s 21 points led the way for Clear Lake. Right behind him was Noah Clever with 19 points. Joey Portlock added 12 more.
“Before today’s game I challenged our guys to play harder on defense and we did that,” Cerezo said.
Clear Lake led 25-12 after one quarter and 37-20 at halftime.
“I felt like we got better this weekend and can’t wait to see how this team plays out as we get into our season,” Cerezo said.
Redwood Classic
Round Valley 69, Lower Lake 64 (OT)
At Boonville, Lower Lake used a 24-16 fourth quarter to force overtime against Round Valley in a final-round game of the Redwood Classic at Anderson Valley High School in Boonville, but the Trojans were outscored 6-1 in the extra period.
“We stayed in our press in OT and unfortunately missed a couple of easy baskets that would have clinched the game,” Lower Lake head coach Anthony Farrington said.
“Our young team has nothing to be ashamed of, and they are growing each game,” Farrington said. “I am excited about this group of athletes, and I am confident we will be competitive this season and a dominant force in the league in years to come.”
Freshman center Noah Hakala led the Trojans with 20 points while senior Luke Campbell added 11 points. Steven Rich had eight points while Johnny Ventura, Ivan De Leon, Tucker Benson and Vincent Linton each had six points.
Lower Lake travels to Kelseyville on Tuesday for its NCL I opener.
Junior varsity
Lower Lake Showdown
At Lower Lake, Middletown’s JVs beat St. Helena 67-52 to win the inaugural Lower Lake Showdown tournament. Leland Pike’s layup late in the fourth quarter sealed the victory.
The Mustangs led by as many as 17 points before the Saints rallied back to within six in the third quarter.
All-Tournament most valuable player John Finney led Middletown with 18 points, Valentin Jimenez added 12, Pike 11 and Emmitt Lloyd 10 points and 12 rebounds.
In early Saturday action, Middletown beat Point Arena 66-30 behind 16 points form Finney and 10 each from Lloyd, Dylan Caviness and Kolton Costlow.
Middletown also beat Lower Lake 61-31 as Lloyd led the way with 26 points. Caviness added nine.
Tournament host Lower Lake lost 56-44 to Point Arena in early Saturday action but returned later in the day to defeat Calistoga 48-43.
Adrian Negrete and Kai Connelly led the Trojans with 13 points apiece against Point Arena. Negrete hit three 3-pointers.
“It was a very exciting game,” Lower Lake head coach Latoya Fortino said. “The Trojans came out with an intensity and drive I have been waiting for as their coach. In this game, every player contributed in one way or another. Every played scored at one point during the game.”
In the win over Calistoga, Connelly led the way with 15 points before fouling out in the fourth quarter. Zach Sanders added 10 points.
“Zach had some great opportunities for shots and closed the deal,” Fortino said. “It was a little nerve-wracking at one point because he had gotten hurt and we weren’t sure if he was going to finish the game, but he did and did well. For his first time every playing organized basketball he is coming along.”
