KELSEYVILLE — On a dark and stormy night, the Clear Lake Cardinals came on like thunder — very loud thunder, in fact — Friday to put the first blemish on Kelseyville”s previously unbeaten North Central League I record, 71-60.
The din in the packed-to-the-rafters Kelseyville gym was provided by an exhuberant Cardinal rooting section, the likes of which are seldom seen in Lake County. That the Clear Lake crowd was loud understates the case.
The volume picked up after a first quarter in which the Cards gave not a hint of the deluge that was to follow. They were, in fact, down 21-10 to Kelseyville. But with a rush — eight straight unanswered points — the gap was closed to 21-18, and by the half Clear Lake had accomplished a flatfooted 32-all tie.
“I knew it was game on after that,” said Clear Lake coach Glenn Wienke, who was celebrating his 53rd birthday. And when the Cardinals outsprinted the Knights to the finish, outscoring them 18-10 in the last quarter, it was clear that the race was also on in the NCL I.
“They”re 5-1, it”s anybody”s game,” Wienke asserted after the Cardinals improved their league mark to 4-2.
The heavy work for Clear Lake was accomplished by forward Adrian Perez, who scored a team-high and season-best 27 points. Guards Andrew Jackson and Kyle Donald added 12 points apiece.
Although 1,000-point career scorer Max Huff bagged 20 points, the Knights showed none of the magic that led to a victory over Middletown earlier in the week. Dustin Thaxton, who had seven three-pointers against the Mustangs and 28 points overall, found the range only once against Clear Lake and finished with 11 points.
To be fair, the Knights managed to make it interesting in a battle-royale third quarter from which Clear Lake emerged leading 53-50.
Wyatt Ferrell had 15 points for the Knights, who had won seven straight since losing to Clear Lake 79-56 in the second round of the Record-Bee Hoop Classic last month in Kelseyville.
Both teams close out the first half of their league schedules on Tuesday. Kelseyville hosts Lower Lake (0-6) while Clear Lake travels to Middletown (4-2).
