FORT BRAGG >> No, the Clear Lake Cardinals will not win the North Central League I varsity boys’ basketball race this year because it’s mathematically impossible. Yes, the Clear Lake Cardinals can still have a say in who does win based on their final three games, including a home contest tonight against Kelseyville (7-4) and an away game Feb. 16 at Lower Lake (9-2).
Apart from playing the spoiler’s role as the 2015-16 regular season winds down, the Cardinals are more concerned with finishing strong before the North Coast Section playoffs open later this month. Clear Lake took another step in that direction by knocking off the Fort Bragg Timberwolves 72-69 on Saturday night in Fort Bragg.
“I’m pleased with how we’re playing and I’m expecting us to play hard the next three games and then we’ll see where things fall,” Clear Lake coach Scott De Leon said.
The Cardinals were floundering at 3-5 only two weeks ago but have since reeled off wins against Middletown, St. Helena and Fort Bragg to stay in the hunt for one of four spots in the league’s postseason tournament Feb. 18-19 at Mendocino College in Ukiah. Only the top four league finishers advance and Clear Lake is currently fifth at 6-5, one game behind both Fort Bragg (7-4) and Kelseyville (7-4).
Since rolling to a 6-0 start, the Timberwolves have fallen on hard times, losing four of five to drop two games behind Cloverdale and Lower Lake, both 9-2.
Clear Lake helped Fort Bragg along its way south in the standings on Saturday night and several Cardinals had a hand in that, led by senior guard Stevie Diaz with 25 points. Sidelined with an ankle injury when Clear Lake dropped a 75-61 decision to Fort Bragg on Jan. 15 in Lakeport, Diaz certainly made his presence known in round two of league play.
“He was huge,” De Leon said. “Not having him the first time we played them definitely made a difference.”
Ryan Damiata and Tyler Dore also came up big for the Cardinals, each with a double-double performance. Damiata had 15 points to go along with 12 rebounds while Dore added 14 points and 11 rebounds.
“He was absolutely a beast on the boards,” De Leon said of Damiata. “And Dore took three huge charging calls that were big. He got rolled over like a freight train hit him.”
Five players did all of the Cardinals’ scoring. Max De Leon added 10 points and Tanner Hutton had eight.
Clear Lake led by as many as 12 points in the fourth quarter before Fort Bragg’s Lucas Triplett rallied the home team. He finished with 20 points, seven of those coming during a 26-point Timberwolf fourth quarter.
“He’s so tough, so strong, he put them on his back and away he went,” De Leon said of Triplett.
“The game didn’t need to be as close as it was but we didn’t hit as many free throws as we should have down the stretch,” De Leon said.
