Clear Lake scores game’s final 13 points to beat Cloverdale 56-50 in overtime
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LAKEPORT >> The Clear Lake Cardinals scored the final seven points of regulation to force overtime, then outscored Cloverdale 6-0 in the overtime period for a 56-50 victory in North Central League I junior varsity boys basketball action Friday night in Lakeport.
“I’m really proud of my guys for battling and coming back to force overtime,” Clear Lake head coach Shady Cerezo said.
Clear Lake outscored Cloverdale 15-9 in the final period to erase a 41-35 deficit after three quarters.
“We still have some things to clean up, but my guys are getting better with each quarter we play,” Cerezo said. “I just love how my guys compete even when things aren’t going our way.”
Ayden Moreno’s 19 points led the Cardinals, now 2-2 in league play. Noah Cleaver finished with 15 points and Gael Moreno had eight.
The loss dropped Cloverdale to 2-2.
Clear Lake travels to Kelseyville on Tuesday to play the league-leading Knights (4-0).
In other NCL I JV boys action Friday:
Middletown 64, Fort Bragg 56
At Fort Bragg, Cody Perez poured in 28 points with six 3-pointers as the Middletown Mustangs overcame a poor first half to beat the Fort Bragg Timberwolves.
Middletown improved to 3-1 in league play and 10-4 overall despite a sloppy first two quarters.
“The team came together after a shaky, turnover-riddled first half,” Middletown head coach Andy Brown said. “We battled through foul trouble, which is a familiar thing for any traveling to Fort Bragg. “A big fourth quarter gave us a win in this musty, cursed gym.”
Kolton Costlow, Leland Pike and Valentin Jimenez finished with eight points apiece. Jimenez also pulled down 16 rebounds for the Mustangs.
Middletown resumes its league schedule Tuesday in St. Helena.
Kelseyville 41, Upper Lake 22
At Upper Lake, Jacob Amendola led a balanced Kelseyville attack with 10 points as the Knights improved to 4-0 in league play with a win over the Upper Lake Cougars.
Joey Watson added nine points and Kimo Brown had eight for the Knights, who return home Tuesday to play Clear Lake.
“It was a tough game offensively,” Upper Lake head coach Lupeli Faleagafulu said. “We just couldn’t score, plain and simple. We had a chance to gain some momentum at the start of the third. We were able to get some stops and get the shots we wanted but just couldn’t finish on them.”
Added Faleagafulu, “I felt we did enough defensively to win the game, but it just wasn’t our day on offense.”
Upper Lake, now 1-3 in league play, is home Tuesday to play Lower Lake.
Upper Lake scoring wasn’t reported.
St. Helena 74, Lower Lake 41
At Lower Lake, St. Helena used a 22-6 second quarter to pull away from and beat the Lower Lake Trojans.
“We came out strong in the first quarter, determined,” Lower Lake head coach Latoya Fortino said. “Somewhere in the second quarter we couldn’t finish a shot, which made it a tough road to get back on track. We tried coming out from halftime with a certain energy, and they did. St. Helena did a great job in their finishes and didn’t let us close the gap at all.”
Kia Connelly led the Trojans (0-4) with 10 points while Zach Sanders added eight, including two 3-pointers. Kyris Kennedy had six points.
“Rebuilding takes time, and these boys have it here, we just need to keep moving forward, learn from our mistakes and know that we can become great competitors,” Fortino said. “These boys have worked hard and continue to work hard. I am excited to watch them and the program grow.”
Added Fortino, “Being a former LLHS ballplayer, I am passionate to bring back a competitive program to our school.”
Lower Lake travels to Upper Lake on Tuesday.
