KELSEYVILLE >> One of the nice things about having a deep bench is the ability to bring in a quality reserve to replace a struggling starter.
That’s what Kelseyville High School varsity girls basketball coach Jim Hale did on Thursday as the Knights hammered St. Helena 64-22 in the first round of the 45th annual Stokes Invitational at Kelseyville High School.
Grace Davidson, a transfer from Clear Lake High School, came off the Kelseyville bench to spell senior Haleigh Meyer, and the sophomore post player ended up turning in a double-double performance with 10 points and 10 rebounds, one of four Knights to score in double figures.
“Davidson picked up the slack for Haleigh, who was struggling with her shot,” Hale said.
The Knights had an abundance of scoring inside and outside. Alma Perez led the way with 16 points, Payton Conrad, also a sophomore, finished with 15 points and just missed her own double-double with nine steals, and Carli Mendonca added 14 points
“We were pretty aggressive with our drives inside,” Hale said of 17-3 first quarter that put the Knights (2-0) comfortably in front.
Kelseyville kept adding to its lead after that and had 55-16 advantage entering the final period.
While only two games into their 2016-17 schedule, the Knights are well ahead of where they were last season in terms of simply being on the same page, according to Hale.
“This team has come together already and they believe in each other,” Hale said. “The core values we had last season are there and the newer girls are picking up on that.”
Kelseyville plays Orland, a 53-20 win over South Fork, in the semifinals tonight at 7:30 p.m. The winner advances to the championship game on Saturday.
Cloverdale 58, Upper Lake 21
Cloverdale, the two-time defending Stokes champion, ran away from the Upper Lake Cougars after the first quarter and will play Rancho Cotate today in the semifinals at 4:30 p.m.
Camryn Figueroa led the Eagles with 18 points while freshman Teyha Bird added 10. Natalie Karlsson’s 11 points led the Cougars (0-2), who play Ferndale today in the consolation semifinals at 1:30 p.m.
The two teams were tied at 8 late in the first quarter before Cloverdale scored the final four points of the period to go up 12-8. The Eagles took advantage of a series of Upper Lake turnovers in the second quarter and a cold-shooting Cougar squad to build 29-15 halftime lead. It was 46-17 through three quarters.
“They (Eagles) play a three-quarter court press and we handled it OK in the first quarter,” Upper Lake coach Mike Smith said.
Back-to-back lopsided losses to open the season (Upper Lake fell 72-33 to Kelseyville on Tuesday) have left the Cougars struggling for answers.
“Our confidence is just not there,” Smith said. “We’ve got to get some girls knocking some buckets down and feeling good about themselves.”
After Karlsson’s 11 points, Upper Lake’s scoring fell all the way down to Kejhana Taylor’s four points.
“Coach (Rick) Berry is on it,” Smith said of Cloverdale’s veteran head coach. “They’ve reloaded this season although they’re a bit on the young side and not quite as big as they have been.”
Orland 53, South Fork 20
Aileen Flynn’s 12 points paced Orland to a first-round win over the South Fork Cubs.
Rancho 86, Ferndale 33
Camille Spackman’s 21 points powered the Rancho Cotate Cougars past the Ferndale Wildcats.
