LOWER LAKE — In a game where the lead changed hands on four consecutive possessions late in the fourth quarter, the Kelseyville Knights pulled through to beat the Clear Lake Cardinals 55-51 in the early junior varsity game on Tuesday at the Record-Bee Hoop Classic in Lower Lake.
Coming off a tough 45-40 loss to Lower Lake on Monday, the Knights regrouped to square their tournament record at 1-1. They also spoiled Clear Lake”s Hoop Classic debut.
The final of the four lead changes came with 29.8 seconds remaining when James Green pounded his way inside for two points to give the Knights the lead for good at 52-51.
Deven Call hit the front end of a one-and one with 25 seconds left to make it a two-point game, then David Ladd iced it by hitting both ends of a pressure-packed one-and-one with 17.5 seconds remaining to make it 55-51.
The Cardinals rallied from a seven-point deficit early in the fourth quarter to get back into it. Three-pointers by Nick Carley and Andrew Jackson gave Clear Lake leads of 48-47 and 51-50.
Call led the Knights with 19 points and Ladd had 13. Steven Edwards” 17 points paced the Card-inals.
Middletown 75, Lower Lake 29
Another game and another blowout win for the Middletown Mustangs, who have outscored their first two Hoop Classic opponents by a combined 158-61.
The Mustangs scored the first nine points against the Trojans and never looked back. It was 23-3 by the end of the first quarter and 47-8 at halftime.
Lower Lake made a bit of noise with a 19-point third quarter that featured a handful of 3-pointers, but even that shaved only three points off Middletown”s lead.
Eleven Middletown players reached the scoring column led by Blaine Amos” 14 points, Nick Delia”s 13 and Kyle Brown”s nine. Jesse Meldrum”s 11 points led the Trojans.
