COLFAX >> Clear Lake fell behind 17-0 but rallied to take as much as a seven-point lead in the third quarter before falling 69-61 to Mesa Verde in the winner’s semifinal round of the Falcon Shootout on Wednesday evening at Colfax High School.
“My guys played their butts off,” Clear Lake coach Scott De Leon said. “I know coaches say that and it’s a cliché, but that’s what they did.”
Despite spotting the Mavericks a 17-point lead to open the game, Clear Lake (5-6) cut the deficit to 36-29 by halftime before surging in front in the second half. Mesa Verde pulled out the game behind a 31-point night from guard Danny Burachek, who found the range on eight 3-pointers.
“He was on fire,” De Leon said. “We switched to a man-to-man defense in the second half but he knocked down everything. I don’t think he missed a shot, not one.”
A handful of turnovers down the stretch combined with a few key misses on open shots allowed Mesa Verde to regain the initiative and catch the Cardinals, according to De Leon.
“They also hit some big shots,” De Leon said of the Mavericks. “You can’t turn the ball over in a game like this against a good team.”
Tanner Hutton’s 17 points, 13 of which came in the second half, and a double-double from Lucas Stahr – 10 points and 14 rebounds, 10 of them offensive – powered the Cardinals. Senior point guard Max De Leon also had a productive night with 11 points, seven assists and eight steals.
“We’ve still got some guys who aren’t feeling well, so I really, really admire the effort they gave,” De Leon said.
Clear Lake draws either Natomas or Colfax tonight in the third-place game at 5:30 p.m.
In the junior varsity bracket on Wednesday, Center High School defeated Clear Lake 65-44.
“They just wore us down,” Clear Lake coach Phil Psalmonds said. “They were deep and every guy they brought in off the bench was good.”
Clear Lake held a 13-10 lead after one quarter but Center pushed in front 25-20 by halftime before pulling away in the second half.
Preston Jones, Josh Damiata and Seth Mix had eight points apiece for the Cardinals (9-2), who play Colfax today for third place. Tip-off is 4 p.m.
