Sprague scores 34 for Kelseyville JVs in win over Alhambra
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MIDDLETOWN >> The Maria Carrillo Pumas couldn’t miss from 3-point range in the first quarter, rolling up 30 points and going on to beat the Middletown Mustangs 80-45 in non-league varsity boys basketball action Tuesday night in Middletown.
“They were draining those 3s,” Middletown head coach Jake Diehl said of the seven 3-pointers the Puma made in the opening quarter. “And we were out there on them. We had a hand in their face.”
It was the season opener for the Mustangs (0-1), who won’t be at full strength until Middletown’s postseason run in football is complete. Maria Carrillo improved to 1-2.
The Pumas took a 45-28 lead into halftime. They finished with 10 3-pointers.
“Their coach told me that’s the best they’ve shot this season,” Diehl said.
Nalu Johnson led the Mustangs with 14 points while Willie Tadder added eight and Harrison Brown and Cody Perez seven apiece. Perez and Leland Pike had Middletown’s only 3-pointers.
“There were some bright spots,” Diehl said. “They showed a definite level of toughness by going right after them (Pumas). That’s a Division 2 squad.”
Middletown returns to action Thursday against Calistoga in the first round of the Sutter Classic at St. Helena High School. The tournament runs through Saturday.
In the junior varsity game, Maria Carrillo beat Middletown 49-45 despite a big night from Jovial Najd, who finished with 24 points and seven rebounds.
“We made a couple of bad turnovers near the end that hurt,” Middletown head coach Mike Myers said.
While Middletown held an early lead, Maria Carrillo’s press led to a 14-0 run that put the Pumas in front. The Mustangs rallied to go back in front in the second half, but they couldn’t hold the lead down the stretch.
Playing a school the size of Maria Carrillo was a big step up for the Mustangs, according to Myers.
“I’m so proud of my boys,” Myers said. “They (Puma) had some big boys.”
Lucas Hernandez scored nine points for Middletown while Koa Johnson added six points and 10 rebounds. Colton Costlow had four points, six rebounds and four assists.
In other boys action Tuesday:
Clear Lake 52, South Fork 37
At Miranda, Zane McAuley scored 15 points, Ayden Moreno added 12 and AJ Bruch 11 as the Clear Lake Cardinals squared their season record at 1-1 with a non-league road victory over the South Fork Cubs.
“It was a good bounceback game against a good team,” Clear Lake head coach Shady Cerezo said. “We were up only eight at the end of the third quarter, but we turned up our defense, really locking it down in the fourth quarter by only giving up five points.”
Added Cerezo, “Everyone contributed in the win in some way. AJ stepped up and guarded their best player throughout the game and did a great job defensively.”
Clear Lake won the JV game 57-28 to improve to 3-2 on the season.
Scoring leaders were not provided.
Willits 58, Upper Lake 42
At Willits, the Upper Lake Cougars dropped their season opener to the Willits Wolverines.
“We struggled to find the bottom of the net and struggled even more to even attempt to shoot it,” Upper Lake assistant coach Thomas Santana said.
“Tyler (Collins, a first-year basketball player) had really good attempts from inside and he did exactly what we asked of him to clean up the boards and give us an inside option,” Santana said.
Landen Robinson led the Cougars (0-1) with nine points while Collins, TJ Malicay and Wyatt Hallman added six points apiece.
Willits pulled away with a 23-11 third quarter.
“Antario Wyman was a good spark off the bench for us with five points of his own,” Santana said. “Early foul trouble really put us in a hard spot. We’ve got to learn to clean that up a bit, but we’ll continue to grow as the year goes on.”
Willits also won the JV game, 62-54, in a hard-fought battle, according to Upper Lake head coach Wyatt Hensley.
“Despite the final score, the team showed impressive composure and resilience throughout a game marked by physical play and challenging momentum swings.”
Freshman Isaia Pena finished with 18 points, six rebounds and three assists in his first high school game while sophomore Emmanuel Tapia added 15 points, six rebounds and four assists.
“We attacked the rim with confidence and these two kept the team within striking distance down the stretch,” Hensley said.
Upper Lake opens plays in the Lower Lake JV Tournament on Friday. The tournament runs through Saturday.
“We’re looking to build on the strong moments from the opener and convert them into a complete game,” Hensley said.
Kelseyville 49, Alhambra 42 (JV)
At Martinez, freshman forward Darin Sprague scored 34 points as the Kelseyville JV boys team evened its season record at 1-1 with a win over Alhambra High School.
“And he had a bunch of inside shots that bobbled in and out or he would have had 40,” Kelseyville head coach Stan Weiper said.
Sprague has 62 points in Kelseyville’s first two games.
The Knights used a 19-6 third quarter to open up a 39-27 lead. Weiper went to his bench before the game tightened up in the fourth quarter, at which point he re-inserted the starters.
“I’ve got a bunch of freshmen (11 out of 13 players),” Weiper said. “It was nice to be able to play the reserves two or three minutes, but when they cut it to six, I put the starters back in there.”
Getting the Knights to play as a team is beginning to show some progress, according to Weiper.
“We showed signs of running plays and getting good shots,” Weiper said. “I think we have a chance to be competitive.”
Chris Salmina scored five points for the Knights and Fabian Flores had four.
Kelseyville plays Justin-Siena on Friday in Napa at 6 p.m. There is no varsity game.
Results of Tuesday’s varsity game between Kelseyville and Alhambra were not reported.
