KELSEYVILLE — After winning a big game, the Kelseyville Knights and head coach Caitlin Andrus now have to play the waiting game.
Kelseyville avenged two regular-season losses to North Central League I North champion Fort Bragg by beating the very same Timberwolves 43-38 on Friday night in the championship game of the NCL I North postseason tournament at Kelseyville High School. Whether that”s enough to earn the Knights an at-large berth in the North Coast Section Division IV playoffs, which begin early next week, will be determined Sunday at the at-large and seeding committee.
“It”s hard to know because it”s going to come down to what other people in the division have done and I don”t really know, I”ve been so focused on our own league. But I think this will help, definitely,” Andrus said of winning the North tournament. “We had four closes losses in league and we beat the two teams who gave them to us.”
Kelseyville would appear to have a pretty valid claim for one of those at-large berths after a convincing 59-41 over Willits on Thursday night in an opening-round game and a much closer win Friday against Fort Bragg. Although the Knights finished third behind Fort Bragg and Willits in the regular-season standings, they”ve now won six straight and are 20-8 overall, their fifth straight 20-win season but the first under first-year coach Andrus.
“And we lost our first three (games of the season),” Andrus said of her first three games as the Knights” coach way back in early December.
That season-opening performance in the Lady Tiger Classic in Sebastopol was but a memory to the Knights on Friday night against the Timberwolves (18-8), who appeared on their way to a third win over Kelseyville this season after building a 25-19 halftime lead.
“We had a tough first half,” Andrus said. “Their defense is pretty good. They have four seniors and they”re all good athletes. They gave us a lot of pressure and we didn”t handle the pressure real well.”
But the Knights regrouped in the second half, according to Andrus.
“We played with the composure of the team I”ve grown to know,” Andrus said.
Amanda Mueller, a junior post player who has ratcheted up her game a notch or two in recent weeks, helped loosen up the Fort Bragg defense by hitting some clutch jumpers from outside the paint.
“She made two or three shots from the outside when they didn”t even bother to guard her,” Andrus said. “She has a great little shot.”
One of those basksets was a 3-pointer, Mueller”s second in as many nights. She scored a team-best 15 points and also had seven rebounds. Six of her points came on inbounds plays when the Timberwolf defense failed to adjust.
Allyson Brown had 12 points and seven rebounds for Kelseyville, Jodi Snider had eight points and 10 rebounds, and Sam Mattern added four points and eight rebounds.
Andrus also praised the play of guard Monique San-tana, who hit a big free throw down the stretch to give the Knights a three-point lead.
“Santana stepped it up big time with her rebounding (eight boards) and smart play,” Andrus said.
She also had one of the Knights” five 3-pointers while finishing with four points.
Jordan DeSilva”s 17 points paced the Timberwolves, who automatically advance to the Division IV playoffs as a league champion.
