UPPER LAKE >> Sonoma Academy scored in the first quarter, something each of Upper Lake’s previous two opponents failed to do, but the Cougars really didn’t care about that streak as much as their winning streak, which they extended to three games with a 55-43 victory over the Coyotes on Tuesday night in Upper Lake.
Upper Lake now sits at 3-1 in the North Central League II varsity boys basketball standings and 8-8 overall. Kenny Hodges led the way with 23 points, 11 of those in the third quarter when he made three of his five 3-pointers on the night.
The Cougars trailed 27-24 at halftime and it could have been a lot worse, according to Upper Lake head coach Justin Dutcher.
“We just had an ugly four minutes to start the second quarter,” Dutcher said. “The calls weren’t going our way and the kids were starting to hang their heads. We got down by as many as 12 points.”
Upper Lake made a run right before halftime to chop Sonoma Academy’s lead to only three.
“The confidence just kicked in at halftime,” Dutcher said. “That run before halftime really helped us.”
Upper Lake outscored Sonoma Academy 18-7 in the third quarter to go up 42-34.
Hodges finished with a double-double that included 11 rebounds. Sal Sanchez came off the bench to score 14 points and pull down eight boards while Isaiah Garcia added 12 points.
“Sal gave us a real lift,” Dutcher said of Sanchez, who scored eight of his points in the fourth quarter.
“That helped us put it away,” Dutcher said. “I’m really proud of the kids. They fought back when things weren’t going well and put it back together.”
Upper Lake plays at Roseland University Prep on Friday night.
