POTTER VALLEY — With three of his starters away on a school-sponsored field trip in Barbados, Upper Lake High School varsity boys” basketball coach Forrest Stogner was opening his season in Potter Valley on Tuesday night.
And while the Cougars who did remain behind probably weren”t having as much fun as missing starters Kyle Coleman, Quinn Womachka and Luis Santana, Upper Lake got the job done, beating the Bearcats 52-29 in the season opener for both teams.
“It”s better than starting off 0-1,” Stogner said. “The guys were filling the roles well, but I”m glad we weren”t playing Anderson Valley or someone like that.”
Brandon Mendoza scored 15 points and Dalton Steptoe”s double-double of 11 points and 15 rebounds carried the Cougars to their initial victory of the 2007-08 season. Jayce Meri added seven points and 10 rebounds.
“Overall everybody did OK, but we didn”t function as well as we could have with the Xs and Os,” Stogner said.
Upper Lake outscored Potter Valley in each of the first three quarters and led 46-21 going to the final period.
Cory Gonzales had six points for the Cougars, who broke the game wide open by outscoring the Bearcats 20-4 in the third period.
Upper Lake returns to action Nov. 28 against host Anderson Valley in the first round of the Redwood Classic at Boonville. Tip-off is 8 p.m.
In the junior varsity game Tuesday, Andrew O”Meara scored 17 points to go along with seven steals and six assists as the Cougars beat the Bearcats 52-14. Nick Palomo added eight points and a team-high eight rebounds, and Junior McCloud had nine points.
“For not having a whole lot of experience we looked pretty good,” Upper Lake JV head coach Justin Dutcher said. “We have only three starters back.”
