LAKE COUNTY — Three wins in three games added up to a second straight tournament championship for the Clear Lake High School junior varsity boys basketball team nearly a year ago today during the second annual Larrea Memorial in Lakeport.
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.
JV boys basketball
Clear Lake’s JVs improved to 5-0 on the season with their three-game sweep in the four-team, round-robin JV bracket, part of a 9-0 start for the Cardinals in the 2019-20 season. After dispatching College Prep 62-40 in opening-round play Friday, Clear Lake came back Saturday to beat Lower Lake 63-49 in the early game and Vacaville Christian 53-52 in a thrilling championship game that went right down to the wire.
Vacaville Christian made a 3-pointer with four seconds left to cut Clear Lake’s lead to a single point, but the Cardinals were able to inbound the basketball and run out the clock. Noah Bergman scored 31 points in a losing cause for the Falcons.
For Clear Lake, Ethan Maize led the way with 16 points. All-Tourney selection Joey Soderquist added 11 points, and Jack Daskam, later named tournament MVP, had 10. Earlier in the win over Lower Lake, it was Soderquist who powered the Cardinals with 17 points.
Clear Lake’s Zane Robinson also earned All-Tournament honors.
JV girls basketball
Clear Lake’s junior varsity girls also came away with a tournament title nearly a year ago today, beating Colusa 41-35 to wrap up the championship in the Colusa Tournament.
Mikayla Fifield’s 16 points led the Cardinals, Stella Hill added 10, and tournament MVP Montana Wells had nine. Also named to the All-Tourney team from Clear Lake were Abby Mertle and Rubi Ford.
Varsity boys basketball
Hank Nevarez scored 16 points and both Louis Avalos and Dalton Slater added 12 apiece as the Upper Lake Cougars won their own tournament, the Cougar Classic, with a 72-29 rout of Potter Valley.
Nevarez was named to the All-Tourney team while Avalos earned MVP honors.
Varsity girls basketball
Karlee Zimmerschied’s season-best 22 points powered the Upper Lake varsity girls to a 67-23 win over Potter Valley and to the championship in Cougar Classic at Upper Lake.
Heaven’Lee Loans Arrow added 12 points and eight rebounds and was named tournament MVP. Alana Sanchez added nine points and six rebounds.
