Mia Hoogendoorn, Harley Holley spark team in 57-39 victory over Clear Lake
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MIDDLETOWN >> A 17-5 first quarter set the tone as Middletown beat the Clear Lake Cardinals 57-39 in North Central League I varsity girls basketball action Friday night in Middletown, the win giving the Mustangs at least a share of the league championship for the third time in four years.
Middletown (12-2 league, 20-5 overall) and Kelseyville (12-2) finish tied atop the NCL I standings. Both teams will learn on Sunday who, when and where they will be playing next week when the North Coast Section playoffs get under way.
“Our goal all along has been to win league,” Middletown head coach Roxi Holt said. “Everything else is just gravy.”
Middletown enters the postseason with starter Harley Holley back in the lineup. Holley scored 13 points against Clear Lake, second only to teammate Mia Hoogendoorn’s 28, after missing the Mustangs’ last five game with a knee injury.
“It was really nice having her back in there,” Holt said of the junior post player.
The Mustangs remain without sophomore guard Jordyn Harbison (illness) entering the postseason.
Opening up a big lead early against the Cardinals (3-11, 6-18) is exactly what the Mustangs wanted to do, according to Holt.
“It was a must-win game for us,” Holt said. “The girls knew they had everything to lose. We came out and put it to them.”
The Mustangs led by those same 12 points at halftime, 27-15. Middletown added a point to its lead in the third quarter before closing things out.
“We tightened up our defense a little bit in the fourth quarter,” Holt said.
While securing their 20th win of the season, the Mustangs also received nine points from Sarah Fetters.
Middletown struggled from beyond the 3-point arc, hitting just two 3-pointers.
“We just decided to stop shooting them and concentrate on other parts of our offense,” Holt said. “They just weren’t falling for us.”
Faith McIntire’s 19 points, 13 rebounds and two blocks led the Cardinals while Aliyah Valadez added seven points. Kaylah Billig and Emily Gersalia had nine rebounds apiece.
Clear Lake won the JV game 47-41. The Cardinals finish league play at 7-5.
Middletown (8-4, 14-9) was led by Chloe Pulido with 12 points, Ally Cherry with 11 and Jolene Holley with 10.
“Tonight was a tough loss,” Middletown head coach Daryl Dacosta said. “Clear Lake came out ready to play. They pressed us from the tip and we were having trouble breaking the press, which ultimately turned into turnovers and points on their side.”
Added Dacosta, “My girls fought all the way until the end, but we just came up short.”
GAME NOTES: The league title is the first for Holt at Middletown. She coached the Mustangs to a second-place finish in 2023, took a year off for maternity leave, and returned to the bench this season. Tony Hart led the team to a co-championship last season (sharing the title with Cloverdale), and Andy Brown was the Mustangs’ head coach in 2022 when they went 13-0 in league play. Over the last four seasons – 2021-22, 2022-23, 2023-24 and 2024-25 – the Mustangs are 74-26 overall (.740) and 49-6 in league play (.891) … It’s Middletown’s first 20-win season since the 2015-16 squad went 23-7, which is the most wins ever for a Middletown girls team … Hoogendoorn is not only Middletown’s all-time scoring leader (1,533 points), but also the school’s single-season points leader among girls (570).
