KELSEYVILLE >> The Kelseyville Knights are trying to reach the semifinal round of the North Coast Section Division IV girls basketball playoffs tonight when they take on No. 2 seed St. Joseph Notre Dame in a quarterfinal-round game tipping off at 6:30 p.m. in Alameda.
A story in Friday’s edition of the Record-Bee reported that no county girls team had ever reached the Division IV semifinals before, but one person knew better and he is none other than former Clear Lake head coach and current Kelseyville assistant Rich Facey, who guided the Cardinals to back-to-back Division IV finals and NorCal playoff appearances in 1997 and 1998. Clear Lake lost to Campolindo in the 1997 sectional title game and to Marin Catholic in the 1998 final, both games played on the road.
Facey said he’ll have no problem if the Knights (26-3), coached by Jim Hale, reach their own Division IV final this season. Before that can happen, Kelseyville has a significant obstacle to overcome in the form of the Pilots (24-4), who won the Division V championship last season before being moved up into Division IV prior to the start of the 2016-17 campaign. St. Joseph Notre Dame also won the Division V crown in 2011, 2012 and 2013.
The two teams did meet last season when the Pilots made a two-game road swing through Lake County, playing Upper Lake and Kelseyville on back-to-back nights in December. St. Joseph Notre Dame won both games, including a 70-58 victory over the Knights.
As far as the current season goes, St. Joseph Notre Dame and Kelseyville played only one common opponent, Sonoma Academy of the North Central League II. The Pilots beat the Coyotes 63-26 and the Knights defeated the Coyotes 37-29.
Kelseyville, the No. 7 seed, reached the quarterfinals with a 71-62 victory over Fortuna on Wednesday night in opening-round action. St. Joseph Notre Dame had a first-round bye. If the Knights score an upset in the quarterfinals, they will play the winner of tonight’s game between No. 3 Arcata-No. 11 Swett in the semifinals next Wednesday at the site of the highest surviving seed.
