HEALDSBURG — Kelsey Pearl regained her shooting touch while teammate Kat Edmonds flirted with a triple-double Thursday night as the Upper Lake Cougars beat Rio Lindo Academy 45-27 in a North Central League II varsity girls” basketball game near Healdsburg.
The win snapped Upper Lake”s four-game losing streak. The Cougars are now 2-1 in the league standings and 7-6 overall.
“Pearl stepped up,” Upper Lake coach Mike Smith said of Pearl”s 12 first-half points, all on 3-pointers. “She had two 3s in the first quarter and two in the second, which really helped us get going.”
Upper Lake took a 27-11 lead into halftime. After coming out cold in the second half and watching Rio Lindo trim their lead to 10 by the end of the third quarter, the Cougars bounced back with a strong fourth period, outscoring Rio Lindo 14-6. Edmonds and Pearl, who hit another 3-pointer, each had five points in the quarter.
Pearl finished the game with 19 points, matching her season high, while Edmonds added 12 points, 13 rebounds and seven steals.
LaShaye Taylor had eight points for Upper Lake, Amber McQueen had 10 rebounds and four points, and Shayla Wyman contributed seven steals and two points.
“Her hustle has just been amazing all year,” Smith said of Wyman.
Upper Lake returns home Tuesday to play Sonoma Academy. The four-game set starts at 3:30 p.m.
In other games Thursday:
Willits 49, Middletown 27
At Middletown, a 19-3 Willits fourth quarter broke open a close game after three periods and lifted the Wolverines to a win over the Middletown Mustangs in NCL I action.
Middletown head coach Tony Hart guided the Mustangs with a heavy heart after his father, Charles, died earlier Thursday.
“I was with him earlier in the day and was holding his hand,” Hart said. “He told me I should go and be with my kids.”
Hart”s oldest daughter, Amber, plays on the varsity squad while younger daughter Ashley is a member of the JV team.
Middletown trailed 19-18 at halftime and 30-24 entering the fourth quarter.
Middletown”s defense held two of Willits” top players, Whitney Dunham and Alicia Mehtlan, to a combined six points in the first half. Dunham finished with 12 and Mehtlan 11.
Jenny Hoefer”s seven points paced Middletown (0-2, 3-10) and Kayla Farr added six.
Earlier in the junior varsity game Middletown beat Willits 62-43 behind 17 points, seven rebounds and five assists from Ashley Hart.
“She did a little bit of everything,” Middletown coach Anthony Bazzano said of Hart.
Alisha Bell added 14 points and seven rebounds and Nicole Corsetti had 10 points and nine rebounds for the Mustangs, now 1-1 in the NCL I standings and 8-6 overall.
Middletown returns to action Tuesday in Fort Bragg.
