ST. HELENA >> If the Clear Lake Cardinals could play turn back the clock, they”d get in their time machine and go back a little more than a month to early January.
Call it a re-do if you will as far as the North Central League I race is concerned.
Clear Lake lost its first five, some in excruciating fashion, none more so than a 76-67 overtime loss to the St. Helena Saints on Jan. 13 in Lakeport, a game the Cardinals had all but won with a double-digit lead late in regulation.
The same two teams met for a final time on Friday night in St. Helena, only this time with a completely different ending. Behind 22 points from Jared Strate and 19 from Stevie Diaz, the Cardinals blasted the Saints 62-48, their third straight league win and fourth in five games.
“We”re playing better team basketball both offensively and defensively,” Clear Lake coach Scott De Leon said of his team”s second-half resurgence. “We”re playing with a little more confidence every game.”
Clear Lake, now 4-6 in league play and 9-13 overall, led 41-27 at the half and never looked back.
“We played solid defense and shot the ball real well in the first half,” De Leon said.
Ryan Smith, who finished with 11 points, gave the Cardinals a big lift on defense, according to De Leon.
“He did a great job in the paint against their big guy,” De Leon said. “He had a great game.”
In other NCL I boys” action Friday:
Cloverdale 63
Lower Lake 50
At Cloverdale, the Lower Lake Trojans couldn”t slow down NCL I leader Cloverdale (9-1).
Lower Lake (4-6, 10-12) lost a 60-59 heartbreaker to Cloverdale on Jan. 13 in Lower Lake, a game that went down to the wire. Not so on Friday as the Eagles took a 49-34 lead into the final period.
Jerod Alexander led the Trojans with 15 points while Hokulani Wickard and Dustin Martin added 11 apiece.
Girls
Cloverdale 53
Lower Lake 32
At Lower Lake, the Cloverdale Eagles (6-4) snapped Lower Lake”s three-game league winning streak.
Aleia Milano led the Trojans (4-6, 10-12) with eight points.
Clear Lake 46
St. Helena 26
At Lakeport, the Clear Lake Cardinals ended a two-game league losing streak at the expense of the NCL I cellar-dwelling St. Helena Saints (0-10).
Clear Lake (6-4, 10-11) led 20-9 at halftime and put the game away with an 18-10 third quarter.
Aliza Atkins powered the Cardinals with 17 points, Taylor Helms added 14 and Jasmine Rice had 10.
Clear Lake”s junior varsity squad won 35-12 minus one of its top players to improve to 10-0 in the league standings and 22-0 overall.
