CARDINALS OPEN WITH VICTORIES
Boys, girls roll past RUP in season openers
The first step in what would be another ultra-successful season for the Clear Lake High School varsity boys basketball team took place nearly a year ago today as the Cardinals knocked off a solid Roseland University Prep squad 59- 49 in their 2019-20 season opener in Lakeport.
Until the COVID-19- delayed 2020-21 sports season starts, the Lake County Record-Bee will take a look back at the local sports happenings of a year ago and the teams and athletes who were making the headlines.
Boys basketball
Coming off a record-setting 27- 4 campaign in 2018-19, the varsity Cardinals under the direction of head coach Scott De Leon opened the 2019-20 season in impressive fashion by beating a RUP team that would go on to finish 16-8 and reach the North Coast Section playoffs.
Jaron Mertle and Darius Ford, stars on the 2018-19 squad that set Clear Lake’s single- season school record for most wins by a varsity boys team, helped lead a balanced Cardinals attack with 11 points apiece while Donovan Valadez, up from the junior varsity club, also added 11 points. A fourth Clear Lake player, veteran Tyler Cerini, joined his teammates in double figures with 10 points. All would go on to earn All-North Central League I honors at season’s end.
Clear Lake pulled its starters with a 52-28 lead after three quarters.
“Last year we thought we could be pretty good,” said Clear Lake assistant coach Mike Damiata, who was filling in for De Leon (fishing trip). “We have some high expectations again this season.”
And the Cardinals would go on to meet all of those expectations before it was over. They not only won 27 games for the second season in a row, but they repeated as NCL I champions, again going 14-0, and they would earn a runner-up pennant in the sectional playoffs before making it as far as the NorCal quarterfinals. Their season concluded right before the COVID-19 pandemic ended the remainder of the NorCal and state playoffs.
De Leon announced his retirement during the team’s final game. Damiata will lead the Cardinals into the 2020-21 season, which is scheduled to open in mid-March.
Girls basketball
While the Clear Lake boys were opening their season with a big win, the new-look Clear Lake varsity girls blew past RUP 64-34 in the varsity coaching debut of head coach Phil Psalmonds, who watched his team build a 25- 0 lead in the opening quarter.
Clear Lake’s half- court trap pressure defense created numerous turnovers and fastbreak buckets. Veteran Shaelyn McIntire led
the team with 20 points, Joy Ingalls added 12 points and nine rebounds, Rylee Mix contributed 11 points, four assists and three steals, and Sydney Howe had 10 points and five steals.
Clear Lake had a 39-11 halftime lead and a 50-21 advantage through three quarters.
The Cardinals would go on to finish 13-10 overall and 9-5 (third place) in the NCL I standings. They were the only team to beat Cloverdale (13-1) in league play although their season ended with a 64-31 loss to those very same Eagles in the quarterfinals of the sectional playoffs.