LAKE COUNTY — Nearly a year ago today in Lake County high school sports history, the Middletown High School and Upper Lake High School varsity boys basketball teams opened the 2019-20 season with victories.
Until the COVID-19-delayed 2020-21 sports season starts, the Lake County Record-Bee will take a look back at the local sports happenings of a year ago and the teams and athletes who were making the headlines.
Boys basketball
Middletown used solid second and fourth quarters to pull away from El Molino in varsity action at Middletown. The Mustangs took a 29-14 lead into halftime and put the game away with a 24-15 fourth quarter.
Sammy Cervantes scored 13 points in the win, Will Chastain added nine and Jason Jones eight.
Middletown’s JVs cruised to a 47-23 victory.
Upper Lake
Despite a slow start against Anderson Valley, the Upper Lake varsity boys basketball squad ended up rolling to a 57-22 season-opening victory over the Panthers at Boonville, a game that also marked the coaching debut of Tony Arroyo.
A 23-point second quarter propelled Upper Lake to a 35-11 halftime lead and the Cougars never looked back.
Louis Avalos led a balanced Upper Lake attack with 12 points, Dalton Slater added 11 more, and Benat Love had eight.
The Cougars sank five 3-pointers, getting one each from five different players.
In the JV game, Upper Lake squared its season record at 1-1 with a 47-18 win as Julian Cruz led the way with a team-best 18 points, most of them coming on fastbreak baskets. Kyle Grandi added 12 points, including two 3-pointers.
Upper Lake had the game well in hand by halftime with a 27-7 lead.
