Nick Arredondo’s 21 points, five 3-pointers spark Kelseyville in upset win
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KELSEYVILLE >> And that’s why they play the game.
Kelseyville, coming off an 0-3 showing at the Redwood Empire Invitational Basketball Tournament (REIBT) last weekend in Healdsburg, hosted REIBT runner-up Middletown in a North Central League I varsity boys basketball game Tuesday night.
Predictable end result?
Think again. The Kelseyville Knights built a huge lead and went on to beat the Middletown Mustangs 68-56.
While the Knights (2-5) won for only the second time this season, the timing of those wins has been superb as they improved to 2-0 in the league standings while the Mustangs (4-5) fell to 1-1.
“They did a lot of good things on defense to disrupt us,” Middletown head coach Jake Diehl said.
The Knights also did what they needed to do on offense, sinking a baker’s dozen worth of 3-pointers, most of those in the first half as they built a 30-16 halftime lead. When the 3-pointers began to dry up some in the second half, Kelseyville banged the ball inside to Gordon Astrup, who scored 10 of his 13 points over the final two quarters.
“We shot around 80 percent from the 3-point line (in the first half),” Kelseyville had coach Chaze Russell said. “It’s a close and different game for sure if we don’t do that.”
Kelseyville’s effort was eerily similar to the one used by Marin Academy of San Rafael only three days earlier when the Wildcats beat the Mustangs 68-46 in the REIBT championship game. Marin Academy worked the ball inside and out and also around the perimeter looking for an open 3-pointer – the Wildcats sank 14 – but were also able to take advantage of the Mustangs down low at opportune times.
“I watched a few minutes of that game,” Russell said. “We kind of did the same thing.”
“I talked to Kelseyville’s coach a little bit after the game and he said that’s the best they’ve shot all year,” Diehl said. “Marin Academy’s coach told me the same thing.”
“We’ve been able to shoot the ball well at home,” Russell said. “If we could just carry that on the road with us.”
When Middletown made a late run at Kelseyville, Russell said the Knights were able to keep their cool, something that has been noticeably lacking from their game in the early part of the season.
“They played composed,” Russell said. “They were pressuring us and we made three straight turnovers at one point, so I called a timeout. They did exactly what I asked them to do the rest of the way.”
Russell asked his players to be patient, work the 35-second possession clock on each possession, and look for good shots.
“We took care of the ball, worked it around and drew fouls,” he said.
Nick Arredondo’s 21 points, including five 3-pointers, powered Kelseyville while Astrup added 13 and Jair Inostroza Carrillo 12. Jacob Amendola added six points, all on 3-pointers.
“We didn’t make many (3-pointers) in the second half, but we were able to make them when they were needed,” Russell said.
“It was a frustrating loss,” Diehl said. “We would call timeouts to make adjustments, but those adjustments never came to fruition.”
Even more concerning to Diehl was his team’s energy level, which he said didn’t come close to matching the Knights’ until the final four minutes of the game.
“Kelseyville had way more energy than us,” Diehl said.
Jon Hawkins’ 21 points powered the Mustangs while Emmitt Lloyd added 11 and Harrison Brown 11, including two 3-pointers.
Kelseyville outscored Middletown 39-9 from beyond the 3-point arc.
“I knew they were capable of doing that,” Diehl said. “They can shoot the ball.”
The two teams could end up meeting against later this week as the Stokes Tournament tips off Thursday in Kelseyville. Kelseyville opens against Lower Lake at 9 a.m. while Middletown, which is on the other side of the Stokes bracket, plays Anderson Valley at noon. The tournament runs through Saturday.
In junior varsity action Tuesday, Kelseyville improved to 2-0 in league play and 3-3 overall with a 67-49 victory over Middletown (0-2, 3-3). Darin Sprague’s 27 points led the Knights, who also had a big game from Hugh O’Boyle (21 points).
“That was a real nice step up for him,” Kelseyville head coach Stan Weiper said.
O’Boyle scored 15 points in the third quarter alone as the Knights pulled away with a 24-6 scoring surge. Sprague carried the load in the first half with 14 points.
Chris Salmina finished with seven points.
‘He also had a number of good assists, and he did a good job on defense,” Weiper said of Salmina.
“I think we played real good defense,” Weiper added.
“We just got outplayed tonight, clear as day,” Middletown head coach Mike Myers said.
Lucas Hernandez had a double-double for Middletown with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Jovial Najd also scored 17 points.
The JV Knights are off until they play Eureka at home on Dec. 27.
In other NCL I boys action Tuesday:
Clear Lake 59, Upper Lake 56 (OT)
At Lakeport, Zane McAuley tossed in 20 points while teammates Tony Moreno (15 points) and AJ Bruch (14 points) joined him in double digits as the Clear Lake Cardinals handed Upper Lake its second straight overtime loss.
“Two overtime losses in a week never feels good,” Upper Lake head coach Thomas Santana said.
“We played great defense and fought hard the whole game,” Santana added. “We had a chance to win in regulation and just couldn’t capitalize. A few too many second-chance points is what cost us the most in overtime.”
TJ Malicay led the Cougars (0-2, 3-6) with 21 points, Antario Wyman added nine and Shaun Way eight.
“It was a back-and-forth game from the get-go,” Clear Lake head coach Shady Cerezo said. “They played us tough and had a lot more energy than we did. Fortunately for us, we were able to make just enough plays in the fourth (quarter) and overtime.”
Added Cerezo, “Tony Moreno stepped up big in the fourth and OT scoring eight of our 16 points. All in all it was a great team effort.”
Upper Lake plays Willits on Thursday at 3 p.m. in the opening round of the South Fork Tournament in Miranda. Clear Lake is entered in the Colusa Tournament starting Thursday.
In the JV game Tuesday, Clear Lake beat Upper Lake 78-37 to improve to 2-0 in league play.
“We had a slow start to the first half,” Upper Lake head coach Wyatt Hensley said. “We played a physical Clear Lake team with a lot of experience.”
Adam Isaacson’s nine points led the Cougars while Angelo Macias added eight.
Clear Lake scoring was not reported.
Lower Lake 70, Fort Bragg 69
At Fort Bragg, the Lower Lake Trojans earned their first league win in a nailbiter over the Fort Bragg Timberwolves.
The game was close throughout. Fort Bragg led 13-12 after one quarter and 28-27 at halftime while Lower Lake took a 50-46 lead into the fourth quarter.
Noah Hakala’s 19 points led the Trojans (1-1, 5-4) while Tucker Benson added 13 points, including three 3-pointers. Raijhier McKneely added nine points and Zackquez Sanders eight.
“Tough game,” Lower Lake head coach Jay Jakubowski said. “Fort Bragg is a tough team that played us extremely well for four quarters. We were able to pull away late. It was a tough game but a good team win.”
Lower Lake plays Kelseyville 9 a.m. Thursday in the opening round of the Stokes Tournament at Kelseyville.
The Trojans also won the JV game Tuesday, rallying from a 24-8 halftime deficit for a 42-39 victory over the Timberwolves.
“The boys came out of halftime after a reflection conversion and showed up to play,” Lower Lake head coach Latoya Fortino said. “Our bench was critical in turning the intensity into what we needed. It’s amazing to have a bench that can come onto the floor and make the impact they did tonight.”
Aiden Osorio’s 11 points paced the Trojans (1-1, 4-3). Roy Percoats finished with eight while Ryder Steffen and Bradley Lahr each had five.
