Lower Lake girls salvage seventh place; K’ville JVs win tourney title
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KELSEYVILLE >> The Kelseyville Knights did everything they could to hang with the St. Bernard’s Crusaders, defending state champions, for the first half Saturday evening in the girls championship game of the annual Stokes Tournament at Kelseyville High School.
Kelseyville (6-6) actually held a 19-17 lead after one quarter against the undefeated Crusaders (9-0), who are coming off a 30-win season in 2023-24, but St. Bernard’s scored a combined 48 points in the second and third quarters and wore down the Knights with plenty of pressure defense to take the Stokes title 75-39.
“We gave the defending state champions everything we had and everything they wanted for the first 14 minutes of the game,” Kelseyville head coach Tim Conrad said. “We played free with nothing to lose. We talked pregame about some team goals for the game and making sure we tried to play with them for as long as we could.
“The girls came out unafraid, aggressive and confident,” Conrad added. “We had a big home crowd, and our fans fed off of our start. The place was rocking.”
St. Bernard’s pulled in front by halftime, 37-27, and then pulled away with a 28-5 third quarter.
“St. Bernard’s is very talented and deep,” Conrad said. “They have a lot of girls who can play. We just flat ran out of gas. I don’t care about the final score. We consider the first half, for us, a win. We reached every goal that we had set in pregame.”
Nyejzniya Krohn and Matisyn Mateer scored seven points apiece to lead Kelseyville, which had a four-game win streak snapped. Mateer also had five rebounds, four steals, four blocks and two assists.
“Our girls care about each other,” Conrad said. “They play for each other. And they want to do well for each other. I can’t say enough about how much I am enjoying being a par of this group of young ladies.”
Laila Florvilus, a junior point guard, led the Crusaders with 24 points and was named tournament most valuable player. Joining her on the All-Tourney team were teammates Aliyah Vigil and Samantha Sundberg. Kelseyville’s All-Tourney picks were Ashlyn Wurm and Cali Schnabl.
The Knights are off until a Jan. 7 league game at St. Helena.
In other Stokes girls action Saturday:
Lower Lake 35, Oroville 34
Aly Aguirre scored all seven of her points in the fourth quarter as the Lower Lake Trojans held off Oroville to win the seventh-place game. All-Tournament selection Jamiya Lee-Ayers also had seven points for Lower Lake (5-7), which had to survive a last-second Oroville comeback.
Oroville cut a late four-point lead by the Trojans to just one with 20 seconds remaining. Lower Lake turned the ball over, but the Tigers couldn’t take advantage. With just five seconds to go, a jump-ball possession also went to Oroville, but Lower Lake’s defense held again.
“I think I had at least three heart attacks after halftime,” Lower Lake head coach Shannon Tubbs said.
Lower Lake led 18-6 after one quarter and 24-14 at halftime, but the Tigers used a 14-2 third quarter to grab a 28-26 lead going to the final period.
“We played our best quarter of the season to start the game offensively and defensively,” Tubbs said of the first quarter. “The rest of the game we didn’t take car of the ball (with 35 turnovers).”
Added Tubbs of his team’s sluggish second-half play, “We scored two points in 12 minutes. I subbed in the last rotation, and they turned up the defense and created opportunities.”
Mary Watson and Brooke Benson each had five points for Lower Lake. Benson also led the Trojans with nine rebounds and five steals.
Lower Lake returns to action Jan. 4 with a non-league away game against Ygnacio Valley.
Pinole Valley 52, Healdsburg 26
Pinole Valley won the third-place game with a win over Healdsburg. Pinole Valley’s Dannyae Turner was named to the All-Tourney team along with Healdsburg’s Allie Espinoza.
Ferndale 46, Cloverdale 41
Ferndale repeated as the Stokes Tournament consolation champion after winning back-to-back Stokes titles in 2021-22. Tinnley Pidgeon was named to the All-Tourney team along with Cloverdale’s Amara Galvan.
JV basketball
Kelseyville 36, Analy 16
At Santa Rosa, the Kelseyville High School junior varsity girls basketball team won the Jeff Paul Tournament at Maria Carrillo High School with a victory over the Analy Tigers.
All-Tournament selection Grace Hobbs led the undefeated Knights (11-0) with 16 points, 11 rebounds and four assists. Aubree Sperber added 10 points and Jordyn Wurm had five points and six rebounds.
“I can’t say enough good things about this team,” Kelseyville head coach Liz Berry said. “Every game we come out focused on playing strong fundamental basketball, and the girls continue to show up and put in the work. My girls coming off the bench have never failed to pick up our intensity and put points on the board.”
Kelseyville returns to action Jan. 7 with an away league game at St. Helena.
