TOUGH OUTINGS FOR ULHS, LLHS
Lady Cougars lose series to Warriors, Trojans watch Wolverines end streak
LAKN EOUNTY >> The Upper Lake Cougars didn’t lose many games during the 2019-20 high school girls basketball season, but they did lose twice to one team during a rough preseason schedule, one that primed them for a North Central League II championship run and a 22-victory campaign.
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.
Varsity girls basketball
Upper Lake’s varsity girls posted a 22-6 record last season and the only team to beat them twice was Laytonville, a Division 6 power in the North Coast Section. In a three-game series between the two teams, the Warriors won the final two meetings, including a 48-33 decision nearly a year ago today in Laytonville.
Upper Lake struggled from the start and trailed 15- 6 after one quarter, a hole the Cougars could never escape. They kept it close through halftime but Laytonville put the game away with an 18-11 third quarter.
“The girls had so many turnovers,” said Upper Lake coach Raelene Cromwell, who was filling in for head coach Mike Smith (away on a work commitment). “The Warriors did a great job underneath and inside the key.”
Zoey Petrie’s 12 points led Upper Lake. After that, the scoring fell off to seven from Heaven’Lee Loans Arrow.
“Couldn’t rebound or show I should I say wouldn’t?” Cromwell said of an uninspired effort by the Cougars on the boards.
Upper Lake won the first meeting between the two teams, 45- 35, in a non-league game at Upper Lake. Laytonville bounced back with a 43-27 victory in the winner’s semifinals at the Potter Valley Tournament.
It was the final preseason game for the Cougars, who slipped to 11-3.
In other varsity girls basketball action nearly a year ago today, the Lower Lake Trojans used big games from Kayla Doud and Alisha Jones to defeat Willits 55- 48 and improve to 2-1 in the NCL I standings.
Doud led the Trojans with 17 points, including three 3- pointers, while Jones added 10 points and a team-best 22 rebounds.
“She was the story of the game,” Lower Lake head coach Shannon Tubbs said of Jones. “The girls is barely 5- 5, maybe 5- 6, but she’s a beast under the boards.”
Varsity boys basketball
In varsity boys basketball action nearly a year ago today, the Lower Lake Trojans played a game they most likely would rather forget as they fell 54-52 to the Willits Wolverines at Willits. The Wolverines hadn’t won a league game since their 2016 finale against Middletown. They entered play against Lower Lake with a 44-game league losing streak.
With the score knotted at 52 with 25 seconds left, Lower Lake inbounded the ball and was setting up for a game-winning shot when the Wolverines came up with a huge steal, one that led to a game-winning basket as time expired.
“My hat’s off to them,” Lower Lake head coach Marcus Humphrey said. “They pulled down a lot of rebounds and basically they wanted it. That’s not to say we didn’t, but they were hungry.”
Gavin Watson and Makhi Johnson finished with 11 and 10 points, respectively, to lead Lower Lake, which fell to 0-3 in the NCL I standings.
Willits wouldn’t win another league game, including a 77-71 loss at Lower Lake three weeks later.
In a non-league game nearly a year ago today, the Upper Lake Cougars used 14 points from Russell Gordon to rally past host Laytonville 61-54.
Upper Lake trailed by as many as 12 points early in the game. Gordon also had four 3-pointers in the win.
Other Cougars leaders were Benat Love with 13 points and Diego Velasco with 11 points.
All- County honors
Nearly a year ago today the Record-Bee announced its 2019 All- County volleyball team, which featured the top players from around the county following the 2019 season. Earning most valuable player honors once again was Kelseyville High School senior Allison Bryant, who is now playing for Catawba College in North Carolina.