LAKE COUNTY — The 2007-08 high school basketball season in Lake County can pretty much be described in one word, especially if that word is unremarkable.
Four of the county”s 10 varsity teams didn”t even qualify for the North Central League I tournament in their respective divisions (meaning they finished dead last) and are already done for the season. After first-round games tonight at the NCL I North tournament in Kelseyville and the NCL I South tournament in Upper Lake, that number could be as high as eight or nine.
Only two teams — the Kelseyville girls at 18-8 and the Lower Lake boys at 13-11 — have winning records. The Kelseyville girls have the best shot at reaching the North Coast Section Division IV playoffs, but they may have to win the NCL I North tournament to do it — and that means beating Willits and Fort Bragg, the only two teams the Knights didn”t beat in league play during the regular season.
If the Knights and first-year coach Caitlin Andrus have an edge, it”s the home court advantage.
While Andrus has maintained a fine tradition of winning girls” basketball at Kelseyville, taking over where former coach Jim Salmina left off, the county”s other nine teams have largely wandered in the wilderness this season.
On the down side, the Clear Lake girls lost 20 games, going 4-20. The Upper Lake boys also lost 20 — their final 20 — to finish 3-22.
On a more positive note, Middletown senior Tyler Hunt not only scored his 1,000th career point earlier this season, but became the Mustangs” all-time scoring leader ? and is still climbing with 1,213 points. Amazingly, nearly half of that total — 601 points to date — has come this season alone.
Hunt is only the fifth county player to score 600 or more points in a season and with as many as two games remaining, he has a shot at passing the all-time mark of 648 by Upper Lake”s Laura Wilder (1993-94).
The schedule for the NCL I North tourney tonight has Willits vs. Middletown (boys) at 3:30 pm., followed by Willits vs. Kelseyville (girls) at 5 p.m., Fort Bragg vs. Lower Lake (boys) at 6:30 p.m., and Fort Bragg vs. Middletown (girls) at 8 p.m.
In the NCL I South tourney, it”s St. Vincent vs. St. Helena (boys) at 3:30 p.m., St. Vincent vs. St. Helena (girls) at 5 p.m, Cloverdale vs. Clear Lake (boys) at 6:30 p.m., and Cloverdale vs. Upper Lake (girls) at 8 p.m.
