LOWER LAKE >> Defense proved to be highly overrated and nowhere to be found on Tuesday night as the Lower Lake Trojans, just four days removed from an awful performance at Cloverdale, outlasted the Clear Lake Cardinals 92-85 in a North Central League I varsity boys basketball shootout at Lower Lake High School.
“It was a fun game,” Lower Lake coach Shannon Tubbs said. “It was an up-and-down game, entertaining,” Clear Lake coach Scott De Leon added.
A total of seven players scored in double figures — three for Lower Lake (3-4) and four for Clear Lake (3-4). Hokulani Wickard led the Trojans with 30 points, Jordan McGrath added 25 and Ethan Watson had 17. For the Cardinals, Tanner Hutton erupted for a season-best 37 while teammates Ryan Damiata, Max De Leon and Jacob Elsa added 18, 15 and 11 points, respectively.
Lower Lake took advantage of a Clear Lake team missing two of its better inside players in Lucas Stahr, who was out with a knee injury, and Austin Davis, who was gone for personal reasons, by pounding the ball inside to Wickard time and time again.
“Hoke was able to dominate the paint with Lucas out,” De Leon said.
Lower Lake also benefited from three Clear Lake starters getting into early foul trouble. Hutton, De Leon and Damiata all had three fouls by halftime. They all managed to stay in the game in the second half but couldn’t be as aggressive as they wanted to be on defense, according to De Leon.
“We tried to foul them out but couldn’t do it,” Tubbs said.
Lower Lake began the fourth quarter with a 10-point lead. Clear Lake rallied to take a one-point lead on two occasions but couldn’t hold it down the stretch.
“They hit some big shots and we missed some free throws,” De Leon said.
Damiata and Hutton finished with double-doubles as they had 13 and 12 rebounds, respectively.
Both teams are now 3-4 in the league standings.
Clear Lake made up a game with St. Helena on Wednesday that was postponed on Jan. 10 because of a major storm that hit the North Coast. The Cardinals open the second half of their league schedule on Friday night in Cloverdale.
Lower Lake hosts Middletown (3-4) on Friday.
