Upper Lake comes up short at John McMillan Holiday Invitational
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MAXWELL >> A quartet of Lower Lake players scored in double digits Thursday as the Trojans used a big third quarter to beat Los Molinos 62-47 in the opening round of the Maxwell Tournament.
Trailing 22-14 at halftime, the Trojans (3-3) outscored the Bulldogs 34-9 in the third quarter.
Raijhier McKneely and Brody Shields led the Trojans with 16 and 15 points, respectively, while Tucker Benson added 12 and Kaimelo Connolly 11.
Lower Lake found the range on eight 3-pointers, including three from Shields and two from Benson.
The victory snapped a three-game losing streak.
Lower Lake plays Biggs in the winner’s semifinals Friday at 6 p.m.
In other boys tournament action Thursday:
Clear Lake 58, Calistoga 42
At Calistoga, Clear Lake pulled away with a 21-6 fourth quarter to beat the host Calistoga Wildcats in the opening round of the Gene Duffy Memorial Tournament.
“Everyone on the team scored,” Clear Lake head coach Shady Cerezo said. “It was balanced scoring on our part. The first three quarters were closer than what I would have liked.”
Zane McAuley led Clear Lake’s attack with 16 points while AJ Bruch finished with 10, Jesse Hayes and Sawyer Smith eight apiece, and Ayden Moreno seven.
“Our goal is to get better each game and we’re making the right stop toward that goal,” Cerezo said.
Clear Lake plays Tech on Friday at 6 p.m.
Anderson Valley 47, Upper Lake 43
At Cloverdale, trailing by double digits most of the game, the Upper Lake Cougars fought back to tie the game in the third quarter before falling to Anderson Valley in the opening round of the John McMillan Holiday Invitational at Cloverdale High School.
“We brought it back to a tie late in the third, but we just couldn’t finish the job,” Upper Lake coach Thomas Santana said. “They just wanted it more.”
Tyler Collins led the Cougars (2-4) with 12 points and TJ Malicay had 10.
Upper Lake plays Round Valley in the consolation semifinals Friday at 5 p.m.
Justin-Siena 48, Kelseyville 43 (JV)
At Kelseyville, playing less than a week after their first meeting in Napa on Dec. 5, a 72-45 loss, the Kelseyville Knights fell to Justin-Siena in a hard-fought non-league battle.
Freshman Darin Sprague led the way with 29 points and Chris Salmina added 10, including two 3-pointers.
“I’m really happy with the kids’ aggressiveness,” Kelseyville head coach Stan Weiper said. “It was a big improvement from when we played them last time.”
A pair of missed layups in the final minute cost the Knights, according to Weiper, who was otherwise impressed with his team’s effort.
“We made a major improvement with out competitive structure,” Weiper said.
The Knights host Middletown in a North Central League I game on Tuesday.
