LOWER LAKE — Even at full strength, the Lower Lake High School varsity boys” basketball team was facing a difficult task against the visiting McKinleyville Panthers. Minus two starters, it was no contest.
Behind a balanced scoring attack, the Panthers rolled past the Trojans 67-38 in a non-league game on Wednesday night in Lower Lake, completing a two-night, two-game sweep on their mini-road trip of Lake County (McKinleyville beat Clear Lake 72-55 on Tuesday).
“In situations like that I really don”t like to talk about who isn”t there,” Lower Lake coach Marty Udy said of the absence of Forrest Davis, the team”s leading scorer, and Joe Taylor, both of whom are on Christmas break and will also miss the Trojans” game Saturday at Upper Lake. “We didn”t have the type of energy we needed tonight. We needed to play scrappier than we”ve ever been this season and we weren”t. We needed to do everything right.”
Lower Lake (8-4) hung around for a quarter before McKinleyville (8-3) began to find the range from the perimeter.
A 13-8 deficit after one quarter became a 33-17 hole by halftime, one from which the Trojans couldn”t climb out of.
“McKinleyville shot the ball extremely well,” Udy said. “They had eight 3-pointers (to Lower Lake”s four).”
Wohali Bishop led the Panthers with 14 points while Logan Kiff and Ben Sheppard added 13 apiece. Chris Pender chipped in with 10.
Gage Carlson”s 17 points paced the Trojans and Jaymen Richardson had eight.
The Trojans open their North Central League I interlock schedule on Saturday at Upper Lake. Junior varsity action tips off at 5 p.m. The Trojans return home Tuesday to play NCL I South powerhouse Cloverdale.
