FORT BRAGG — Fasten your seatbelts as the North Central League I varsity girls basketball race is going right down to the wire.
The Clear Lake Cardinals enter the final full week of the regular season in sole possession of first place after beating the Fort Bragg Timberwolves 53-38 on Saturday night in Fort Bragg. Coupled with Kelseyville’s 69-66 win at Lower Lake on Saturday, the Cardinals (10-1 league, 17-6 overall) own a one-game lead over the Knights and Trojans, both 9-2, with three games remaining.
“It’s kind of what we wanted, where we were hoping to be,” Clear Lake coach Kory Reynolds said.
Clear Lake’s road to the league title is pretty straightforward. If the Cardinals win two of their final games, they’ll be no worse than league champions. If they win out, they’ll be the undisputed champions.
However, those final three games are not exactly a cakewalk, far from it. Clear Lake plays at Kelseyville on Tuesday hoping to avenge its only league loss before returning home Friday to face Willits. The Cardinals then hit the road in their league finale on Feb. 14 when they visit Lower Lake.
“We don’t have to rely on anyone else to lose, we control our own destiny,” Reynolds said. “The girls are looking forward to it (final three games).”
Clear Lake’s recent trend of mistake-free play continued as did the Cardinals’ balanced scoring. Clear Lake committed only 10 turnovers against Fort Bragg, a big change from earlier in the season when turnover totals in the 20s, even 30s, were not uncommon and holding the team back, according to Reynolds.
“It’s a dramatic decrease the last seven games or so,” Reynolds said. “The girls have really worked hard.”
Against Fort Bragg, the Cardinals had four players score in double figures led by Corin Alakszay’s 15 points. Valerie Hutton added 12 points while Kortnie Reynolds and Camille Donald each had 10.
“Life is very good,” Reynolds said.
Clear Lake went 18-for-29 from the free-throw line.
“We’re getting to the basket really well and getting fouls,” Reynolds said. “It makes it real hard on other teams. If they guard us too close on the outside we’ll drive right past them and take it to the basket.”
Kiana Richardson pulled down a team-best 13 rebounds while Hutton had seven boards and Courtney Hiatt six. Reynolds led the team with six steals.
