MIDDLETOWN >> Clear Lake fell behind by as many as four points in the third quarter after leading most of the game, but the Cardinals pulled out a 46-39 victory over the Kelseyville Knights on Friday to improve to 2-0 in the 22nd annual Record-Bee Hoop Classic junior varsity standings at Middletown High School.
Clear Lake, now 9-0 on the season, wraps up tourney play today against Lower Lake at 2 p.m. The Cardinals won both the Stokes and Willits tournaments earlier this month and are looking to add the Hoop Classic championship trophy to the list.
Johnny Mendonca’s basket with just more than a minute remaining pulled Kelseyville to within three points of Clear Lake at 42-39 but a driving layup by Rodrigo Lupercio made it 44-39. The Cardinals then forced a turnover and scored again when T.J. Marcks hit a short turnaround jumper from underneath the basket.
The game was close throughout with Clear Lake up 12-8 after one quarter, 22-19 at halftime and 35-33 through three quarters.
No Cardinal scored in double figures but Brady McGuire and Josh Damiata came close with nine points apiece. Kyle Ashworth and Austin Davis each had six.
For Kelseyville, now 1-1 in tournament action, Scott Sanchez led the way with 14 points and Mendonca finished with seven.
In the early JV game on Friday:
M’town 56, Lower Lake 50
The Middletown Mustangs had to hold on for dear life against the Lower Lake Trojans after squandering most of a 28-point lead late in the third quarter.
Lower Lake scored the final three points of the third period and the first 20 points of the fourth quarter to make it a 52-47 game. The Trojans got as close as 54-50 on a Jermaine Watson free throw with 38.8 seconds remaining, but Luke Holt’s driving layup for Middletown with 25 seconds left sealed the victory and evened the Mustangs’ tournament record at 1-1 while the Trojans slipped to 0-2.
Trey O’Neill led the Mustangs with 13 points, Holt added 11 and Colton Hall had 10.
For Lower Lake, Watson finished with 16 points and Angel Jauregui had 11.
