So good, Cards led before tipoff
Technical foul during warmups sets tone for Clear Lake rout
LA E TOUNTY >> The 2019-20 Clear Lake High School varsity boys basketball team had most teams beat before it took the court, but in a North Coast Section quarterfinal-round playoff game nearly a year ago today against visiting Cornerstone Christian, the Cardinals did themselves one better.
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.
Before the first second ticked off the clock in what would eventually be a 80-52 Clear Lake victory, the Cardinals had a 1-0 lead, the result of a Cornerstone Christian player dunking the ball during warmups, which is a no-no. Cornerstone 6-foot-4 forward Ezra Hunter III, son of head coach Ezra Hunter Jr., certainly gave a partisan Clear Lake crowd something to talk about with a spectacular dunk, but the resulting two-shot technical foul led to Clear Lake senior guard Darius Ford making one of two free throws. The Cardinals (25-3) also were awarded possession as the game began and they scored on a Ford 3-pointer.
“He wasn’t happy,” Clear Lake head coach Scott De Leon said of the reaction of his Cornerstone Christian counterpart to spotting the Cardinals a 4-0 lead.
The Cougars’ situation wouldn’t improve. Although the Antioch team brought a fair amount of size to the Clear Lake gym, its weakness — outside shooting — was thoroughly exploited by the Cardinals.
“We sat back in a zone all night and that’s not something we do a lot of,” De Leon said.
The Cougars had a bit of success early on, but not nearly enough.
“They would penetrate and dump it off to one of their big guys,” De Leon said. “They were able to match our baskets for a while, but we kept collapsing inside. We really packed it in.”
Cornerstone Christian also had no answer for the outside shooting of the senior Ford, who was hotter than the surface of the sun. Clear Lake’s high scorer with 26 points, Ford scored 16 of those, including five 3-pointers, in the first quarter as the Cardinals charged out to a 28-14 lead and never looked back.
“He was feeling it tonight,” De Leon said. “He just lit it up and some of them were deep. One was at least 8 feet behind the line.”
Ford went 7-for-14 from behind the arc.
Clear Lake had plenty of other offense as well. Center Jaron Mertle added 18 points, 10 rebounds (six offensive) and five blocks while guard Donovan Valadez added 15 points.
The Cardinals’ defense, which produced 14 steals, was equally lethal, according to De Leon.
“Spectacular, terrific defense,” added De Leon, who said senior Travis Howe led the charge.
Clear Lake’s big first quarter set the tone for the rest of the game as the Cardinals put together one of their best efforts of the season, according to De Leon.
“We played some of the best basketball we’ve played all season. We’re kind of peaking at the right time,” De Leon said.