CLOVERDALE — The word is pretty much out on the Clear Lake Cardinals: make them beat you from the outside.
That”s what the Cloverdale Eagles did on Tuesday night and it worked. They beat the Cardinals 63-48 in a North Central League I South varsity boys” basketball game at Cloverdale High School.
With the South season nearly over, it”s still a three-team race for the title with St. Vincent in front at 5-1 followed by Cloverdale at 5-2 and Clear Lake at 4-2.
“They packed it in against us and we could not get an outside shot to fall,” Clear Lake coach Ken Hook said. “They dared us to shoot the ball from the outside.”
Brandon White was the only Cardinal who got untracked against the Eagles as he led the way with 23 points and eight rebounds.
“Brandon was awesome, he played a great game,” Hook said. “Otherwise we didn”t have much offense.”
After White, Clear Lake”s scoring fell off to five points apiece from Jameson Holder and Rawley Butler.
Ahead 33-29 at halftime, Cloverdale pulled away with a 16-7 third quarter.
Clear Lake is 14-7 overall.
In other boys” games on Tuesday:
- Willits 63, Kelseyville 45
- St. Helena 53, Middletown 41
At St. Helena, minus starter Brandon Breeden (flu), the Middletown Mustangs struggled and lost to the St. Helena Saints in NCL I interlock action.
“That killed us,” Middletown coach Mike Mullin said of the loss of Breeden. “It hurt us inside.”
St. Helena scored the game”s first 10 points and never looked back against the Mustangs (9-15), who trailed 19-9 after the opening period and 29-15 at halftime.
“We could never recover from that,” Mullin said of the Saints” 10-0 game-opening run. “We”re not a come-from-behind team. We have to stay close.”
Tyler Hunt”s 12 points paced the Mustangs and Jake Strickler added 10.
- St. Vincent 73, Upper Lake 46
At Petaluma, the Upper Lake Cougars slipped to 0-7 in the NCL I South standings and 4-19 overall after falling to the St. Vincent Mustangs, the NCL I South leaders at 5-1.
“Ugliest thing I”ve ever seen,” Upper Lake coach Forrest Stogner said of his team”s performance. “Besides Kyle Coleman, I don”t think anyone else showed up.”
Coleman led the Cougars with 17 points and 13 rebounds.
“He hit the boards real good for us in the second half,” Stogner said.
At Kelseyville, the Kelseyville Knights let down in the first quarter and the Willits Wolverines made them pay in NCL I North action.
Willits led 19-6 after the opening period and Kelseyville (2-4 North, 5-18 overall) never recovered.
“We lost focus and intensity and you can”t do that against Willits,” Kelseyville coach Scott Conrad said. “They just buried us.”
Isaac McQueen”s 13 points and eight rebounds paced Kelseyville.
“(Guy) Conger did a good job for us,” Conrad said of his junior guard. “He played hard all game and showed some good leadership.”
