Mustangs top Cougars 62-39, Cardinals get 28 from McAuley against Trojans
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UPPER LAKE >> The Middletown Mustangs are a win away from clinching no worse than a tie for the North Central League I championship following a 62-39 victory over the Upper Lake Cougars on Tuesday night in Upper Lake.
Middletown (11-2 league, 19-6 overall) is home Wednesday to play Clear Lake (7-6, 12-12) in the league and regular-season finale for both teams. If the Mustangs prevail, they’ll have at least half of the league title in their pockets. They’ll then do some scoreboard watching Thursday when St. Helena (11-2) hosts Upper Lake (4-9, 7-12).
“It was their senior night, and they came out with tons of energy,” Middletown head coach Jake Diehl said of the Cougars. “Our team buckled down on defense and was persistent on offense.”
Bodhi Moore led the Mustangs with 16 points and eight steals while Jon Hawkins finished with a double-double of 15 pounds and 13 rebounds. He also had six blocks and five steals. Harrison Brown added 10 points and Anthony Bowerman nine.
Middletown led 23-21 going into halftime but dominated the second half, outscoring Upper Lake 39-18.
“One of those game where the score doesn’t tell they story,” Upper Lake head coach Tony Arroyo said. “We played well and stuck around with a great team for three quarters. At halftime we were only down two with both teams struggling to fid the basket because of good defensive play on both sides.”
James Beaux Stiritz led the Cougars with 16 points while Jerod Rosales added six points and a team-best 10 rebounds.
“Our boys didn’t let the noise and emotions of senior night get the best of them,” Arroyo said. “The third quarter we came out a little flat but kept fighting.”
Upper Lake closes out its season Thursday night in St. Helena.
In junior varsity action Tuesday, Middletown held off Upper Lake 53-51. Valentine Jimenez made a shot from underneath the basket to tie the game at 51-all with a little more than a minute to play, then Nalu Johnson hit short jumper with 35 seconds remaining to put Middletown (10-3, 17-7) ahead to stay. Jimenez finished with a double-double of 14 points and 12 rebounds while Johnson added eight points and 14 rebounds.
“We struggled at time throughout the game with consistency, but a win is a win,” Middletown head coach Andy Brown said.
Antario Wyman’s 16 points led the Cougars (5-8) while TJ Malicay added 13 points and Shawn Way 10.
“Proud of the way we battled back today (from a 13-point deficit),” Upper Lake head coach Lupeli Faleagafulu said.
With the game tied at 51 late in the fourth quarter, Faleagafulu said the Cougars called a play they’ve had success with all season.
“We fumbled the ball, and they capitalized on it with a fastbreak,” he said.
The Cougars missed a potential game-winning 3-pointer as the final seconds ticked off the clock.
Clear Lake 53, Lower Lake 42
At Lower Lake, Zane McAuley carried the Clear Lake Cardinals on his back against the Lower Lake Trojans, scoring a team-leading 28 points.
“We played an ugly game tonight,” Clear Lake head coach Mark Cory said. “Luckily, we held them to one point in the fourth quarter. Zane carried us tonight on the offensive end.”
Clear Lake wraps up league play Wednesday night in Middletown.
“Another one down, one to go for the season,” Lower Lake head coach Anthony Farrington said as the rebuilding Trojans dropped to 0-13 in league play and 2-23 overall.
“Tough loss tonight for the Trojans,” Farrington added. “We played fairly well with only seven players, but we could not set up the offense, and we struggled tonight in making some easy shots. The Cards also struggled from the floor with some baskets, but unfortunately, they still had a strong performance with Zane McAuley, who scored 28 points against us.”
Brody Shield led the Trojans with 10 points, Steven Rich had eight and Tucker Benson seven.
Lower Lake visits Cloverdale on Thursday to conclude its season.
Clear Lake also won the JV game, 79-48, behind 25 points from Nolan Buffalo and 20 from Ayden Moreno.
“We started out slow, offensively and defensively,” Clear Lake head coach Shady Cerezo said. “We struggled tonight shooting the basketball. I told my guys that we needed to play with more energy in the second half and they did that.”
Clear Lake is 6-7 in league play. Lower Lake fell to 0-13.
Cloverdale def. Kelseyville (forfeit)
Kelseyville (10-3, 15-10) forfeited its game at Cloverdale after team members posted a photo online following a league win Friday night in Lakeport against archrival Clear Lake.
The forfeit was announced by the Kelseyville Unified School District office on its website Tuesday.
The district website called it an “unsportsmanlike” act. The forfeit loss knocked the Knights out of a tie for first place with Middletown and St. Helena, both of whom won Tuesday to remain tied atop the NCL I standings with just one game remaining for all three teams.
Kelseyville is home Friday to play Fort Bragg and will honor its seniors before the game. The Knights are still eligible to participate in the North Coast Section playoffs that begin next week. At-large teams will be announced Sunday.
Kelseyville was gunning for a second straight league title after sharing the championship with St. Helena last season.
Nine of 12 Kelseyville players appeared in the photo that was posted online by three members of the team, then deleted at a later time although not quick enough to escape the attention of several web surfers. At least one other photo of a Kelseyville player wearing a T-shirt with the same “unsportsmanlike” material as that featured in the team photo also circulated for a brief time on the Internet.
Kelseyville beat Cloverdale in the JV game 70-39 behind 18 points from Nick Arredondo, 17 from Joey Watson and 11 from Jair Carrillo.
Kelseyville, which has already clinched the league championship, is 13-0 in league play and 17-7 overall.
