KELSEYVILLE >> When archrivals collide all bets are off.
That was the situation Wednesday night as Kelseyville and Clear Lake squared off in the North Central League I opener for both of these varsity boys basketball teams. They’ll meet again later this season, but on Wednesday night it was the Knights emerging with a 68-65 victory.
And if you’re a tad on the superstitious side and a fan of Kelseyville, the defending league champion, you might want to include 17 as one of the numbers on your next lotto ticket. That’s because the Knights scored 17 points in every quarter while improving to 10-3 on the season.
“It was a back-and-forth game, it was a great game,” Kelseyville coach Scott Conrad said. “The kids got after it. Rivalry games are fun and good for the league. It raises the level of play of both teams.”
“It was a playoff atmosphere,” Clear Lake coach Scott De Leon said. “There was a lot of energy and excitement and it was really loud. I thought my kids handled it well.”
Both coaches said the difference in the game was not a starting player, but Kelseyville sixth man Vermontay Luia, who scored a season-high 12 points.
“He was just a force for us inside,” Conrad said. “He’s kind of an x-factor for us. He’s been working hard and it paid off for him tonight.”
Added De Leon, “Yeah, he did play really well and he hit some big shots for them. He has a really good post move and they did a nice job getting him the ball.”
Clear Lake (0-1, 6-7) led 19-17 after one quarter but Kelseyville pushed in front 34-27 by halftime.
“We had two or three possessions at the end of the second quarter where we didn’t take care of the basketball and Kelseyville had a little run right at the end of the half,” De Leon said.
Clear Lake bounced back with a 20-point third quarter to cut Kelseyville’s lead to 51-47 entering the final period.
Trey Conrad’s 21 points and four 3-pointers led a balanced Kelseyville attack that included Luia’s 12 points, 15 from Randy Pfann, and eight apiece from Adrian Villalobos and Scott Sanchez, who also pulled down 10 rebounds. Conrad finished with six assists.
Tanner Hutton’s 22 points and five 3-pointers powered the Cardinals, who also spread around the offense. Tj Marcks added 10 points, Jake Elsa had nine and Brady McGuire and Rodrigo Lupercio finished with eight apiece.
In earlier junior varsity action, Clear Lake improved to 11-1 on the season with a 63-39 victory over Kelseyville. The Cardinals outscored the Knights 33-13 in the second half to break open a close game at halftime.
Darius Ford led the Cardinals with 15 points, brother Keanu Ford added 11 points and Joey Mendonca had 10. Tyler Linnell led Kelseyville with 19 points, including five 3-pointers, and Bodhi Baird added six points.
