Middletown overwhelms Upper Lake 87-38 in North Central League I action
By Brian Sumpter
Lake County Sports on Facebook
MIDDLETOWN >> If you think Jon Hawkins scoring his 1,000th point with a slam dunk was the best thing that happened to the Middletown Mustangs during an 87-38 blowout win over the Upper Lake Cougars in North Central League I varsity boys basketball action Tuesday night at the Tallman Gym, you’d be about half right.
To the large contingent of Hawkins fans looking on as scored the 28 points he needed to reach 1,000 with workmanlike precision, including five dunks, it certainly was the highlight. On more of a team note, however, Middletown (10-3 league, 17-8 overall) also clinched the undisputed league title with help from the St. Helena Saints, who knocked off Fort Bragg, 64-44. As a result, Middletown pulled two games ahead of both Fort Bragg (8-5) and Kelseyville (8-5) in the league standings with only one game left, that on Thursday at home against Clear Lake (7-6).
“It’s beautiful,” Middletown head coach Jake Diehl said of the Mustangs’ huge night of accomplishments, with all eyes turned toward Hawkins reaching the 1,000-point milestone, only the fourth Middletown boy to score that many in school history. Like a tiger stalking his prey, Hawkins scored nine points in the first quarter, eight in the second, five in the third and six in the fourth, the final two coming with roughly 1:15 left during a running clock as the Mustangs entered the fourth quarter with a 41-point cushion.
Hawkins not only spread the points around but his dunks, too, with one in each of the first two quarters, two more in the third quarter, and the final one for career points Nos. 999 and 1,000 late in the fourth quarter. The gym exploded with applause and cheering as Hawkins jammed the ball through the net, and despite a running clock the game was briefly halted so that the senior could celebrate with coaches and teammates.
Hawkins had many opportunities throughout the course of the game to take shots that he passed on, instead choosing to feed the ball to wide-open teammates (he also led the Mustangs with nine assists). It wasn’t until late in the game that his teammates took it upon themselves to make sure Hawkins handled the ball on pretty much every possession as they wanted to experience his 1,000th point every bit as much as Hawkins himself.
“This is a team and we’re all about the team, but it just goes to show how passionate they were about seeing Jon do this,” Diehl said of Hawkins’ teammates. “They were like, ‘Let’s work as a group to make sure it happens tonight.’”
Added Diehl of Hawkins’ high assist total, “We are all about selfless basketball and it was on display for you to see tonight. And no one is more selfless than Jon.”
Hawkins was promoted to the varsity his sophomore year but missed more than half the season with an injury. He’s also missed a handful of games for other reasons, namely Middletown’s participation in the football playoffs.
“Can you imagine where he’d be if he had played all of those games?” Diehl said of Hawkins’ career point total.
Hawkins also finished with eight rebounds, four steals and two blocks as the Mustangs secured their second straight league title. Though their league finale Thursday at home against Clear Lake won’t have impact on the NCL I race, which is now over, Diehl said the Mustangs have no plans to take it easy, especially given that Clear Lake defeated Middletown 63-58 in double-overtime when the two teams squared off Jan. 20 in Lakeport.
“We will not be letting our foot off the gas,” said Diehl, who added the Mustangs have some unfinished business to resolve with the Cardinals.
“We’ve put a lot of work in this season to get here,” Diehl said. “Right now, it’s about nailing down the little things, it’s about the details.”
While it might have appeared at times Tuesday that Hawkins was a one-man show against the Cougars (3-10, 8-15), that wasn’t the case.
Middletown was hitting on all cylinders, both from inside the paint and beyond the 3-point arc, while working over the Cougars for the second time this season. And just like in the first meeting, an 80-36 win on Jan. 16 in Upper Lake, the Mustangs jumped out to a big lead, 13-2, and never looked back.
With one player out and two less than 100 percent because of illness, the Cougars were at a huge disadvantage from the start, according to Upper Lake head coach Tony Arroyo.
“They have too many weapons for us,” Arroyo said of the likes of Hawkins, Harrison Brown (16 points, six assists), Emmitt Lloyd (12 points, 11 rebounds) and Willy Tader (11 points, four assists and five steals).
As for center Lloyd and forward Hawkins, Arroyo said the Cougars stood no chance against Middletown’s big men.
“We could not keep them off the boards,” Arroyo said of his young squad. “Their size, strength, all that stuff, is something we have to address in the offseason, beginning in the weight room.”
With the exception of Middletown, Upper Lake has been in pretty much every other league game this season, including wins over Kelseyville, Clear Lake (7-6) and Lower Lake (5-8).
“We have three sophomores and seven of our guys are coming back, so I’m feeling pretty good about that,” Arroyo said with an eye toward the future of Upper Lake basketball.
One of those sophomores, Tj Malicay, finished with 13 points, while another, Shaun Way, had seven points. Tyler Collins added eight points and Landen Robinson had six.
Middletown led 26-13 after one quarter, 50-25 at halftime and 74-33 through three quarters.
The Mustangs will learn on Sunday what division they are playing in, where they’ve been seeded in that division, and who, when and where they will be facing in the opening round of the North Coast Section playoffs that open next week.
Middletown finished third in the Division 4 playoffs last season and advanced to the NorCal playoffs for the first time in school history.
“Our goal is to win a state championship,” Diehl said. “I think we can do it.”
JV game
In junior varsity action, Middletown was rapidly approaching the century mark before settling for a 96-26 win over Upper Lake. A running clock in the fourth quarter kept the game from being even more lopsided.
The Mustangs (10-3, 14-5) will play Clear Lake (10-3) at home Thursday in the season finale for both teams that will decide the NCL I champion.
Donovan Clark’s 19 points led the Mustangs, who landed five players in double digitis. Jared Villasenor added 14 points and five rebounds, John Finny had 12 points and six rebounds, Hudson Kelley finished with 12 points, eight rebounds and five steals, and Cody de Jong had 10 points and four rebounds.
Upper Lake fell to 0-13 in league and 0-16 overall.
