LOWER LAKE >> They’re called cellar dwellers, but that doesn’t mean they’re pushovers in the North Central League I varsity boys’ basketball race. That message was brought home once more on Tuesday night when Willits, which is struggling in the early season, took Lower Lake into overtime before the Trojans could notch their fourth league victory 65-62.
The ending was a shocker because Lower Lake had led by as many as 14 points in regulation time.
The Trojans themselves had been regarded as a second division team until this past week when they upset Kelseyville, which figured to be in the running for a league championship. Now they are sitting handsomely at 4-1, just one game behind undefeated Fort Bragg (5-0).
The game had a bit of a haunting effect with Willits head coach Duane Nelson, known well in this area for coaching at Upper Lake many years ago. More threatening, though, was a fourth quarter in which Willits erased a big deficit and Lower Lake came very close to blowing the game on their home court.
Lower Laker’s lead eroded in an 11-point run by the Wolverines, which led to a 59-53 lead for Willits. The Trojans didn’t score in the final quarter until there was only 3:15 left on the clock.
“They kind of caught us in the fourth quarter when we made some substitutions”, said Lower Lake first-year coach Shannon Tubbs. “But we hit some clutch shots at the very end.
“No, we were not surprised. You could see they had a very good program,” Tubbs added of the Wolverines, who won back-to-back league championships in 2013 and 2014 and were in the running again last season.
The Trojans were led by Jerod Alexander who scored 17 points to go along with 12 rebounds. Alexander also hit the shot – a trey – that sent the game into overtime when there were only 14 seconds remaining and Lower Lake trailed 59-56.
Hoke Wickard stepped up once again to play a role in a clutch victory. His shot, too, was a 3-pointer and cut the Willits lead in half at 59-56. Wickard finished with 14 points and eight rebounds.
Lower Lake outscored Willits 6-3 in overtime.
Two Wolverines tied for game-leading honors with 23 each. Anthony Soras pumped in four shots from beyond the arc in the first half and six for the game. Ryan Hosford also had 23 .
Willits, meanwhile, lost its fourth league game in five outings.
“This game gave me confidence,” said Alexander. “Like I have the best team in the league.”
