CALISTOGA >> Calistoga’s Wildcats were little more than a snack for Upper Lake’s Cougars on Tuesday night during a North Central League II varsity girls’ basketball game that got a bit heated in the second quarter at Calistoga.
Upper Lake improved to 4-1 in the league standings and 14-3 overall behind solid outings from Natalie Karlsson (19 points, eight assists, five steals), LaShaye Taylor (12 points) and Jojo Augustine (11 points, four blocks).
The game was briefly halted midway through the second quarter when a scuffle broke out, leading to the ejection of a player on both teams. For Upper Lake, it was Autum Martinez, who by rule will have to sit out the team’s next game Friday at Rincon Valley Christian.
Upper Lake jumped out to a 10-0 lead and never looked back. It was 22-4 after one quarter and 44-15 by halftime.
Karlsson scored all of her points in the first half and Taylor 10 of her 12.
“We had the half-court trap going in the first half, jumped out to a 10-0 and then backed off and went into our 2-3 zone,” Upper Lake coach Mike Smith said. “Our guards (Taylor and Karlsson) were too much for them, getting steals and opening things up for us. They couldn’t stop them.”
The lopsided score meant plenty of playing team for Upper Lake’s available reserves and they made the most of it, led by Paitence Schumack with eight points and Teya Hernandez with six. Each had a 3-pointer.
In other girls’ action Tuesday:
Kelseyville 50
Lower Lake 34
At Kelseyville, Taylor Hale scored a season-best 12 points and Haleigh Meyer added 10 as the Kelseyville Knights beat the Lower Lake Trojans in NCL I play.
Kelseyville (3-2 league, 10-6 overall) remains a game back in the league standings. Lower Lake (1-4, 7-9) lost its fourth straight NCL I game.
Both teams struggled on offense in the first half as Kelseyville led 13-10 at halftime. The Knights broke through with 22 third-quarter points to open up a 35-24 lead.
“We played really good defense in the first half, but we missed a ton of shots,” said assistant coach Dave Milano, who was filling in for head coach Jim Salmina (back injury). “We had the looks we wanted, but we couldn’t make the shots.”
Part of Lower Lake’s strategy on defense was to deny the ball to Riley Goff, Kelseyville’s top scorer. It worked to the extent that she scored only five points, but several other Knights picked up the slack, such as Hale and Meyer, according to Kelseyville coach Jim Hale.
“They must have forgot we have seven other girls who could score,” Hale said of the Trojans.
Two of those were Mary McCallister and Carli Mendonca each with seven points.
Ashlynn Mock’s eight points led the Trojans and Aleia Milano had seven.
BOYS
Middletown 54
Clear Lake 47
At Lakeport, the Middletown Mustangs (3-2, 11-5) pulled away in the fourth quarter to beat the Clear Lake Cardinals (0-5, 5-11), who were as close as one point in the final period.
Trailing by one, the Cardinals were about to get the ball back on a shot clock violation by Middletown when Anthonie Guzman (12 points) banked in a 3-pointer to make it a four-point game.
“We needed a stop right there and there were just two or three seconds left on the shot clock when he banked it in,” Clear Lake coach Scott De Leon said. “That hurt.”
Cody Chorjel’s 24 points powered the Mustangs and Von Self added 10.
“Chorjel played very well on the inside, he’s a tough kid,” De Leon said.
Jared Strate’s 22 points, including six 3-pointers, paced the Cardinals.
“We’re playing much better basketball then our record would indicate,” De Leon said. “Every game there has been a missed shot or two that has cost us. That and a loose ball bouncing the other way or a player on another team hitting a key shot. We’ll keep grinding.”
Calistoga 47
Upper Lake 37
At Calistoga, with a chance to log its first win of the season, the Upper Lake Cougars jumped out to a 10-4 lead only to fall to the Calistoga Wildcats in NCL II play.
Calistoga closed the first quarter with a 9-1 run for a 13-11 lead. The Wildcats pulled away in the second quarter to open up a 29-17 halftime advantage. Twenty-one of their first-half points came on 3-pointers.
Sal Sanchez had 17 points to pace the Cougars (0-5, 0-15). Pancho Flores added nine and Greg Gutierrez had seven.
