KELSEYVILLE — Senior guard Jodi Snider didn”t feel well and missed practice on Wednesday, not an especially good omen for the Kelseyville High School varsity girls” basketball team heading into the North Central League I North postseason tournament Thursday on the Knights” home floor.
“I thought we might have to do without her,” Kelseyville coach Caitlin Andrus of Snider, the Knights” leading scorer on the season, going into Thursday”s game against the Willits Wolverines, who beat Kelseyville twice during the regular season
Snider did suit up for the game but her first shot was an airball, another bad omen for Kelseyville
“And she was kind of slow up the court early on,” Andrus said.
Snider — and the Knights — had the last laugh. She scored 27 points to go along with nine rebounds and four assists as Kelseyville pounded Willits 59-41 to earn a berth in tonight”s championship game against the Fort Bragg Timberwolves at 6:30 p.m.
“Her last couple of games she”s played smart basketball,” Andrus said of Snider. “It”s awesome to see her learning.”
Snider wasn”t the only Knight who turned in a solid overall performance, according to Andrus, who said she can”t remember her squad playing better team basketball.
“Rather than write the same things I always write on the chalkboard before our games, I wrote ?Team” and we did play good team basketball.
“It”s the best execution of the things I”ve been telling them to do that they”ve ever done,” Andrus said.
Kelseyville (19-8) led 28-21 at halftime and 40-34 going into the fourth quarter. That”s when the Knights worked over the Wolverines, outscoring them 19-7.
Kelseyville also had a big night on the boards with 50 total rebounds.
“And I didn”t say a thing to them before the game about boxing out and rebounding,” Andrus said. “They just went out and did it.”
Snider”s scoring was remarkably consistent as she scored six points in each of the first three quarters and nine more in the fourth.
Allyson Brown added nine points and four assists and Amanda Mueller had seven points, including a 3-pointer. Sam Mattern blocked two shots.
Win or lose tonight against Fort Bragg, the NCL I North regular-season champion, the Knights will apply for an at-large berth in next week”s North Coast Section Division IV playoffs.
