LAKEPORT — Sonja Desano led the way with 15 points and the Lower Lake Trojans held off a Clear Lake rally in the fourth quarter to beat the Cardinals 48-45 in a non-league junior varsity girls basketball game on Wednesday evening in Lakeport.
Hailee Bussard’s 19 points powered the Cardinals (0-1), who outscored the Trojans 12-7 in the final period to make it close.
Lower Lake (2-0) led 28-19 at halftime and 41-33 through three quarters.
“The big difference in the game came down to a strong inside presence on the glass with Terilyn (Jermany) and Kayla (Doud) on both ends of the court,” Lower Lake head coach Shannon Tubbs said.
Jermany joined teammate Desano in double digits with 10 points and Doud added nine more, all on 3-pointers.
“We had a few rough spells throughout game with some untimely turnovers, but all in all I was proud of our performance,” Tubbs said. “I still have to iron out my rotations with a pretty deep team but those things take some time. Clear Lake played us tough and if that was a preview of what’s to come (in league play), it should led to some exciting matchups down the road.”
Desano hit a pair of 3-pointers for the Trojans.
“The potential is there,” Tubbs said of Desano. “It will come down to her willingness to work hard. She could be one people remember. She’s a good kid.”
Sydney Howe and Rylee Mix had seven points apiece for the Cardinals, who did not have a 3-pointer in the game. Bussard scored 12 of her points in the second half, including 10 in the third quarter alone.
