Middletown advances with 55-50 win over Windsor in section third-place game
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MIDDLETOWN >> Jake Diehl asked his players to “step up” during the final four minutes of Middletown’s North Coast Section Division 4 third-place game with the Windsor Jaguars on Friday night at Tallman Gym, and he got exactly what he wanted, and exactly what the Mustangs needed.
Middletown went 12-for-12 at the free-throw line during a 25-point fourth quarter, and seniors Bodhi Moore and Anthony Bowerman combined to score 19 of those points as the Mustangs rallied to beat Windsor 55-50 and punch their ticket to next week’s NorCal playoffs.
A history-breaking season for Middletown (24-7) now continues into the CIF State Championships, which include the NorCal and SoCal playoffs, culminating in a round of state championship games in all divisions on March 14-15.
“I put it to them like this,” Diehl said of what he told the Mustangs late in the game as they were battling for their playoff lives in a back-and-forth game against the Jaguars (14-16). “I told them, ‘You’ve only got four minutes left, this is your whole season right here, everything you’ve worked for, and you need to play the hardest you’ve ever played.’”
And the Mustangs responded, according to Diehl.
“They (Jaguars) kept putting us at the free-throw line, which hasn’t been our strength this season, and we made every shot.”
Bowerman went 6-for-6 at the line down the stretch, sophomore guard Harrison Brown went 4-for-4 and Jon Hawkins 2-for-2. Moore also hit two big 3-pointers in the fourth quarter while Bowerman had another.
“My whole goal as a coach is to teach them how to play basketball, how to read defenses and the game situation, and they absolutely did that,” Diehl said.
Windsor took a 35-30 lead into the fourth quarter after trailing 21-19 at halftime.
Landing three players in double digits was huge, according to Diehl. Bowerman led the way with 17 points, Moore was right behind him with 16, and Brown added 10, including two 3-pointers. Jon Hawkins added seven points.
“Brown and Bowerman hit some huge free throws near the end,” Diehl said.
“I’m just so proud of these guys,” Diehl added. “They really locked in the last four minutes.”
Middletown’s win over Windsor marked the third time in its four playoff games that the Mustangs beat a Division 2 team – after Arroyo in the opening round and Mission San Jose in the quarterfinals. Middletown’s lone loss came against St. Patrick/St. Vincent of Vallejo, which upset No. 1 seed Piedmont 75-70 in the section championship game Saturday night.
Apart from that, this Middletown team has gone where no other Mustangs squad has been before. They’ve played more playoff games (four and counting), won more playoff games (three and counting), and have more wins in a single season (24 and counting), eclipsing the 23 games won by the 2005-06 Middletown boys team.
Diehl said it’s a lot to take in, and he’s looking forward to the NorCal playoffs, which is also the first time a Middletown team has advanced this far into the postseason.
“I couldn’t be happier for the kids,” Diehl said. “No group has worked harder for this. It’s pretty exciting.”
TEAM NOTES: Good thing the Mustangs had an eight-point lead in the final seconds because Windsor made a half-court 3-pointer as the final buzzer sounded … The last county boys team to reach the NorCals was Clear Lake during the 2019-20 season. The Cardinals went 1-1, reaching the quarterfinals. The last county girls team to do it was Upper Lake during the 2022-23 season. They also reached the quarterfinals, losing to eventual state champion Bret Harte in the quarterfinals … The Upper Lake girls reached the NorCal championship game twice (1991 and 1993) while the Clear Lake girls made it to the finals in 1989. Lake County has never had a team make it to the state championship game.
