MIDDLETOWN — It wasn”t Duke-North Carolina. But Friday night”s showdown pitting archrivals Middletown and Kelseyville will do until the next best thing comes along. Indeed, Middletown”s 60-51 victory over the Knights played out on the Mustang court was the most meaningful game matching two Lake County teams in several years.
All that was riding on the line was sole possession of first place in the North Central League I standings with only a week left in the regular season.
“Everybody”s been watching this year … We”ve got some basketball up here,” is the way Mustang coach G.J. Rockwell put it.
Most especially some basketball by Middletown. To reach the point where they are within sight of a second straight league title the Mustangs, now alone atop the NCL I standings at 10-2 and 17-6 overall, have won their last seven games in succession and nine of their last 10. Their last two victories have come against the teams that shared the lead with them – St. Helena and the Knights (9-3, 18-6) – coming into the week.
The significance of Friday night”s give-and-take struggle was not lost on the boisterous loyalists of the two teams who were packed into the Middletown 650-seat-capacity gym and into the foyer out front.
The difference-maker in the game was cool-hand Luke — Humphrey, that is — who led Middletown with 25 points. But the Mustang shooting guard”s point total was secondary to when he scored. Two of the five 3-point field goals Humphrey converted came after Kelseyville had come with a point or two of taking the lead.
The first time was with 5:40 left in the game and the Mustangs leading 44-42. The second came a minute later with Middletown up 47-46.
Ironically, Humphrey”s signature game followed his lowest game scoring-wise on Tuesday night in St. Helena when he was held to two points. But that paled into insignificance.
“He”s a scorer,” said Rockwell. “He has confidence … and he hit the ones we needed tonight.”
Said Kelseyville coach Scott Conrad, “We”d climb back to a bucket or two and then not quite finish the play. But you have to give them credit for that.”
You also have to give the Mustangs credit for holding Kelseyville”s perimeter shooter, Dustin Thaxton, to six points (and no 3-pointers), a key to the Mustang victory.
“They did a good job of getting their hands up on him,” said Conrad. “But I thought we did a pretty good job of getting the ball inside. We missed a ton of free throws in the first half (actually only 5-for-14) and that could have been the difference, too.”
There was no disgrace for the Knights in the loss. Most especially for the talented Max Huff, who led the Knights with 20 points. But it had to hurt after Kelseyville was in the league lead for most of the season. And Kelseyville coach Scott Conrad acknowledged that it did.
“It hurt a little bit” he said. “Our challenge now is to get ready for our last two games against Clear Lake and Cloverdale.”
Middletown faces the same two teams next week.
Conrad struggled to be optimistic that the race for the league title is not over.
“We”re hoping for some help,” Conrad said. “If not, we still got an outside shot of the playoffs.”
The betting is the Knights will get an at-large berth.
Rockwell, meanwhile, insists on taking it one game at a time and would brook no talk about being in the driver”s seat.
“You know what?” he said, “In the driver”s seat is where you crash the car.”
car.”
