LOWER LAKE >> The third annual Chernoh Classic basketball tournament at Lower Lake High School didn’t produce a championship for either of the Trojans’ varsity squads, but both the boys and girls completed the two-day competition with 2-1 records.
Lower Lake fell 56-46 to Fortuna in the boys’ championship game on Tuesday after beating College Prep 67-61 and Hoopa 76-60 during Monday’s action. On the girls’ side of the varsity bracket, the Trojans claimed third place with a 67-47 win over Hoopa on Tuesday. On Monday, Lower Lake opened with a 43-41 victory over College Prep before losing 58-52 to eventual tournament champion Marysville in the semifinals. Marysville (14-0) went on to beat St. Patrick/St. Vincent of Vallejo 60-57 in the finals.
Boys
Minus the services of starting guard Jordan McGrath, who rolled an ankle after stepping on a defender’s foot in the third quarter of the Trojans’ first-round win over College Prep, the Trojans received solid play off the bench against Hoopa in the semifinals but not against Fortuna in the championship game.
“Having him could have made the difference,” Lower Lake coach Shannon Tubbs said of McGrath, who earned All-Tournament honors earlier this month at the 22nd annual Record-Bee Hoop Classic in Middletown.
Fortuna took a 44-33 lead into the fourth quarter but had to withstand a Lower Lake run that cut the Huskies’ lead to just three points with two minutes remaining.
“We just couldn’t close it out,” Tubbs said.
Garrett Chernoh led the Trojans with 16 points while Jerod Alexander added 10 and Hokulani Wickard eight.
Against Hoopa in the semifinals on Monday, Marlon Jones led the Trojans with 18 points, 14 of those coming at the free-throw line.
“It was a rough, physical game but he kept attacking the basket,” Tubbs said of Jones, who was named to the All-Tournament team along with Alexander, who finished with 15 points. Wickard and Ethan Watson added 12 and 11 points, respectively.
In Lower Lake’s first-round win over College Prep, Alexander led the way with 22 points, Chernoh added 11 and Watson nine.
“Overall we’re moving in the right direction,” Tubbs said of his 4-6 squad.
Girls
The Lower Lake varsity girls overwhelmed Hoopa in the third-place game fueled by a 26-11 third quarter. Aleia Milano powered the Trojans’ attack with 16 points, joining teammates Ashlyn Mock (12 points) and Samantha Caires and Katelyn Farrell (both with 11 points) in double digits.
Mock and Milano each sank four 3-pointers as the Trojans boosted their season record to 8-3.
On Monday night in the winner’s semifinals, the Trojans gave undefeated Marysville all it could handle. The game was close throughout with Marysville holding a 35-30 halftime lead and 49-40 advantage through three quarters.
Caires and Milano led Lower Lake with 13 points apiece while Claire Alderson added nine more.
Earlier Monday the Trojans rallied from a nine-point halftime deficit to edge College Prep of Oakland. Lower Lake used a 21-8 third quarter to push in front 35-31.
Caires and Milano had 14 points apiece in the win.
JV girls
Clear Lake’s junior varsity girls beat Ukiah 46-45 in the Chernoh Classic championship game to push their season record to 10-1. Kortnie Reynolds led the Cardinals with 12 points while Grace Davidson and Brooklyn Jenkins each had 11.
Earlier on Tuesday Clear Lake beat Middletown 33-27 in the semifinals behind 11 points from Reynolds and six each from Davidson and Cassondra Bassett.
In first-round action Monday, the Cardinals routed Anderson Valley 61-2 behind 14 points from Davidson, 12 from Bassett and eight from Lilli Hill.
Reynolds and Bassett were named to the All-Tournament team.
JV boys
Upper Lake’s JV boys defeated all three of their opponents to claim the Chernoh Classic title. The Cougars (7-4) capped their tournament run with a 66-37 victory over College Prep in the championship game on Tuesday led by 17 points from Robert Neils and 10 from Jacob Kalawaia. Both players were named to the All-Tournament team.
In the semifinals earlier Tuesday, Upper Lake beat Ukiah 66-59 behind 17 points from Nathan Snead, 16 from Neils and 15 from J.T. Claunch, who also had 10 rebounds. Kalawaia pulled down a team-best 15 rebounds in the win and Kenneth Hodges had 11 boards.
During first-round action on Monday, Upper Lake beat tournament host Lower Lake 64-51. Neils led the Cougars with 20 points and Hodges added 12.
Non-league games
M’town 73, Berean 62
In varsity boys’ action on Tuesday in Middletown, the host Mustangs squared their season record at 4-4 with a non-league win over the Berean Christian Eagles of Walnut Creek, led by a career-best 33 points from senior forward Josh Rebolledo.
“He’s still recovering from his knee injury in football and that’s the first game he’s played three full quarters,” Middletown coach G.J. Rockwell said.
Angered by his team’s lackadaisical play in practice on Monday, Rockwell said he challenged his players to step up their game.
“I asked them if any one of them knew what it was like to score 30 points (in a game) because I did that when I played,” Rockwell said.
Middletown’s coach got his answer less than 24 hours later when Rebolledo went off for 24 points in the second half. The Mustangs outscored the Eagles 48-36 over the final two quarters to snap a four-game losing streak.
“In the second half we started pounding the ball down low to him and he really played well,” Rockwell said of Rebolledo, who went 10-for-12 from the free-throw line in the second half.
“He hit some clutch free throws,” Rockwell said.
St. Joseph 70, K’ville 58
In a non-league varsity girls’ game played Dec. 23 at Kelseyville, the host Knights fell to powerful St. Joseph Notre Dame of Alameda, only Kelseyville’s third loss in 11 games this season.
A poor second quarter put the Knights in a deep halftime hole at 39-17. They came roaring back 22-10 in the third quarter and got as close as six points down the stretch.
“We were out of sync offensively in the first half,” Kelseyville coach Jim Hale said. “At halftime we were able to refocus and regroup.”
Riley Goff’s 17 points paced the Knights, Payton Conrad added another 15, and Alma Perez had 12.
Kelseyville hosts Las Plumas in a non-league game on Saturday. JV action tips off at 2 p.m.
