CALISTOGA >> After watching Bib Hamner score 16 points a night earlier in Kelseyville’s 66-38 win over Credo in the opening round of the Calistoga Tournament, Morro Bay made sure to keep a close eye on Kelseyville’s senior center on Friday night in the winner’s semifinal round.
Turns out the Pirates should have kept both eyes on junior point guard Payton Conrad, who erupted for 38 points in a 70-34 victory that puts the Knights (5-1) into Saturday’s championship game against an opponent to be determined at 1 p.m.
The 38 points by Conrad, who scored her 800th career point in the first quarter, is a single-game high for a Lake County player, girl or boy, this season. She had 13 points in the first quarter alone as Kelseyville moved out to a 17-8 lead, only two points in the second period, but 15 more in the third quarter as the Knights put the game away with a 22-4 burst.
Twenty-four of her 38 points came on eight 3-point field goals.
“I didn’t even realize it,” Kelseyville coach Jim Hale said of Conrad’s point total. “I knew she was shooting the ball well, but I didn’t know it was that many (until after the game). She was really focused today.”
Allison Bryant added 13 points and Linda Baqleh nine in Kelseyville’s win. The Knights had 11 3-pointers overall.
Kelseyville was locked in a competitive game at halftime leading 27-19.
“We made a couple of offensive adjustments at halftime so that we could do some damage against them,” Hale said. “We executed those adjustments very well.”
In other girls basketball action Friday:
Lower Lake 67, Fall River 43
At Durham, Vanessa Hughes and Samantha Caires kept the Lower Lake Trojans playing at a high level all night as they beat defending Northern California Division VI champion Fall River in the winner’s semifinal round of the Durham Tournament.
Lower Lake (6-1) plays either Durham or Bear River on Saturday in the championship game beginning at 7:30 p.m.
“Hughes and Caires played amazing the whole game,” Lower Lake coach Dave Milano said of the two seniors.
Hughes’ fingerprints were all over the Trojans’ latest victory as she had 19 points, 11 rebounds and four assists. Caires added four point and five assists.
“What Sammy has done for our team can’t be put into words even though it doesn’t always show up on the stat sheets,” Milano said. “She is totally unselfish with the basketball.”
Aleia Milano led the Trojans with 25 points but had to come out of the game early in the first quarter while fighting a nasty head cold, according to her dad.
“Her color wasn’t right and she wasn’t feeling well,” Milano said. “So we took her out.”
Milano returned in the second quarter as the Trojans, who were tied 13-13 with Fall River after the opening period, began to pull away. It was 29-19 in the Trojans’ favor by halftime and 48-29 after three quarters.
Fall River eventually pulled off its press in the fourth quarter.
“They could see it was doing them no good,” Milano said.
Lower Lake’s coach complimented all of his players for their teamwork against Fall River.
“Everyone made the extra pass,” he said. “I’m proud of the way the girls played. They were all unselfish.”
Justin-Siena 43, Clear Lake 33
At Healdsburg, Justin-Siena High School of Napa handed Clear Lake its first loss of the season in the winner’s semifinals of the Redwood Empire Invitational.
The Cardinals (4-1) play Willits on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. in the third-place game.
Clear Lake was minus starter Kiana Richardson, who had another commitment, but Tianna Jardstrom and Lilli Hill helped pick up the slack. Hill pulled down nine rebounds while Jardstrom had five boards.
The Cardinals struggled from the field most of the night. Corin Alakszay and Camille Donald led the team with 14 points apiece. Alakszay had three of Clear Lake’s four 3-pointers.
Acalanes 50, M’town 17
At Antioch, Acalanes battered the Middletown Mustangs in the winner’s semifinal round of the Antioch Tournament.
Middletown (2-1) trailed 36-15 at halftime and scored just two points in the second half. The Mustangs will play in the third-place game on Saturday.
Individual scoring and other game details weren’t reported to the Record-Bee.
Upper Lake 31, Mendo 30
At Potter Valley, Kaila Willard buried an 8-foot jump shot with 30 seconds remaining to snap a 29-all tie and lift the Upper Lake Cougars past the Mendocino Cardinals in the consolation semifinals of the Potter Valley Tournament.
Upper Lake (4-2) will play a team to be determined on Saturday at noon in the consolation championship game.
Willard’s game-winning shot was set up by a Julia Mooney assist. After the Cougars went up 31-30 on Willard’s shot, Mendocino drew a foul and hit the second of two free throws to make it a 31-30 game. Upper Lake ran the clock down to four seconds before Brenna Sanchez was fouled. While she missed the free throw, Mendocino couldn’t get a shot off before time expired.
Sanchez led the Cougars with nine points and Delaney Love finished with six.
Upper Lake assistant coach Dani Paige Gudmundson Pena filled in for head coach Mike Smith, who was away on school business. She watched Mendocino move out to a 21-17 halftime lead, but Upper Lake’s defense stiffened in the third quarter and limited the Cardinals to only three free throws. The game was tied at 24 entering the final period.
JV basketball
K’ville 44, Cloverdale 39
At Lakeport, Ryann Taylor led the way with 11 points and MJ Boardman added eight as the Kelseyville junior varsity girls basketball team beat Cloverdale in the opening round of the Facey Family JV Tournament at Clear Lake High School.
Poloma Ortiz chipped in with seven points as Kelseyville squared its season record at 1-1. The Knights are scheduled to play two more games on Saturday, beginning with Fort Bragg at 11:30 a.m.
Clear Lake 57, Upper Lake 7
At Lakeport, Clear Lake defeated Upper Lake in a first-round game at the Facey Family JV Tournament.
Maria Wade hit a 3-pointer and was Upper Lake’s leading scorer. The Cougars play Rincon Valley Christian on Saturday at 10:15 a.m.
Clear Lake scoring wasn’t reported.
