Cards set stage for showdown

71-31 win over Kelseyville paves way for battle of 6-0 teams Friday in Lakeport

KELSEYVILLE » Closing in on the midway point of the North Central League I season, the Clear Lake Cardinals dispatched archrival Kelseyville 71-31 during varsity boys basketball action at Kelseyville High School.

Clear Lake (6-0 league, 15-3 overall), the defending league champion, is now set for its firstplace showdown with Cloverdale (6-0, 15-2) on Friday night in Lakeport, which marks the halfway mark of the league race.

“I’m excited about, it should be fun,” Clear Lake head coach Scott De Leon said with an eye toward Friday’s matchup with the Eagles.

Against Kelseyville (1-5, 6-11), Clear Lake had a big advantage inside with Kelseyville’s Joey Mendoca sitting out his third straight game with a sore back.

“We knew we were going to have a size advantage and tried to push the ball inside,” De Leon said.

Clear Lake’s defense also did its job, according to Kelseyville head coach Jeremy Linnell.

“They came out in a man-toman defense and applied some pressure,” Linnell said. “We were uncomfortable in our man-toman offense.”

Clear Lake had a 38-18 lead by halftime. The Cardinals’ size advantage inside helped open up things on the outside in the third quarter when senior guard Darius Ford scored 13 of his team-high 24 points. He had six 3-pointers on the night.

“We stayed on him and he didn’t miss,” Linnell said of Ford.

Clear Lake’s Jaron Mertle added 13 points, 15 rebounds and two blocks. Another of the Cardinals’ big men, Tyler Cerini, had a slam dunk in the third quarter.

“The guys really played well,” De Leon said.

Bodhi Baird’s 18 points powered Kelseyville.

“He’s certainly a talented shooter,” De Leon said of Baird.

Cory Holt had eight points for the Knights, including two 3-pointers.

In the junior varsity game, trailing 45-42 with only 1.2 seconds remaining in regulation, Clear Lake went on to defeat Kelseyville 55-45 in overtime to improve to 6-0 in league play and 16-1 overall.

“They just keep surprising me,” Clear Lake coach Scott Persons said of the Cardinals, who appeared headed for their first league loss.

Kelseyville held a 45-42 lead when Clear Lake’s Ethan Maize was fouled while attempting a potential game-tying 3-pointer.

He hit the first free throw and missed the second to make it 45-43. He purposely missed the third free throw and teammate Jack Daskam grabbed the offensive rebound and scored as the final honor sounding, sending the game into overtime.

“How he got there, I have no idea,” Persons said of Smart’s final-second basket.

Kelseyville coach Oscar Lopez said the Knights missed a chance to run out the clock after stealing the ball with eight seconds remaining.

“We should have run out,” Lopez said.

In the extra period, Clear Lake outscored Kelseyville 10-0 as Maize scored six of his team-leading 20 points. Joey Soderquist and Jake Smart added 10 points apiece.

“They were beating us the whole game until that last play (in regulation),” Persons said. it

Kelseyville held a 34-23 halftime lead before Clear Lake began to claw its way back into the game.

Minus three players, including his starting point guard, the Cardinals basically played five players the entire game.

“Smart and Maddox (Albaum) really stepped it up,” Persons said.

Kyle Leary’s 15 points led the Knights (3-3), Derek Huggins added eight and Earl Linglong had six.

In other boys action Tuesday:

Middletown 56, Willits 36

At Middletown, the Middletown Mustangs snapped a three-game league losing streak with a one-sided victory over the Willits Wolverines, but they paid a huge price as Andres Cervantes was ejected after being called for a charge midway through the fourth quarter.

As a result, Cervantes will be sidelined Friday night when Middletown (3-3, 10-7) plays at Lower

Lake.

“I don’t think it warranted ejection at all,” Middletown head coach G.J. Rockwell said. “It was a breakaway drive, the Willits player tried to take the charge and Dre lowered his shoulder.”

Both players ended up on the floor, Cervantes was called for the charge and ejected.

“It was the chippiest basketball game I’ve been part of in my whole coaching career,” Rockwell said.

Sammy Cervantes, Andre’s brother, also was ejected from a game earlier this season.

“He (Andres) is a big part of what we do,” Rockwell said.

Up by eight points after three quarters, the Mustangs put the Wolverines (1-5) away with a 19-7 fourth quarter.

Sammy Cervantes led the Mustangs with 15 points, Jimmy Rockwell added 14 and Jorge Fonseca finished with 13. Andres Cervantes had eight.

In the JV game, Middletown

coach Jon Hoogendoorn’s halftime talk seemed to do the trick as the Mustangs, trailing 2823 at halftime, went on to bury the Willits Wolverines 62-46 on the strength of a 28-4 third quarter.

“I don’t think there was anything special,” Hoogendoorn said of halftime adjustments made by the Mustangs. “It was more like ‘come out and play or else.’”

Middletown’s uninspired play in the first half led to a bunch of easy Willits baskets, according to Hoogendoorn.

“Willits had guys leaking out, running the court and getting behind us,” Hoogendoorn said.

Lucas DaCosta’s 16 points powered the Mustangs (5-1, 15-3) while Roberto Chaires added 11 points and Zach Dubois nine. Cole Ketchum and Brody Breeden had six points apiece.

Middletown’s teams play Friday in Lower Lake as part of a four-game set between the two schools. JV boys tip-off is 5 p.m.