UPPER LAKE — It came too late for a 2020-21 basketball season that never happened in Lake County because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but when next season rolls around, the Upper Lake High School gymnasium will have a few new perks.
A second scoreboard has been added on the east wall, making it a little easier for fans to follow the action without having to look back over their shoulder to see where things stand – and without having to take their eyes off play on the court. In addition, Upper Lake’s gym is finally getting a scorer’s table that will allow the timekeeper and statisticians to move closer to the floor and eliminate some of the distractions of having fans on either side of them.
The new scoreboard was installed Wednesday and the scorer’s table, which is currently out in the gym lobby, will be installed soon, according to Upper Lake High School varsity girls basketball coach Mike Smith.
“We are extremely excited and appreciative of our Boosters club for this generous purchase,” Smith said. “They are an amazing group of supporters that are always looking to find ways to best serve our student-athletes and make their athletic experiences special.”
There certainly was nothing special about the COVID-19-canceled 2020-21 season for Smith’s varsity girls, who were returning nearly their entire starting lineup from a 2019-20 team that won the North Central League II championship, reached the semifinals of the North Coast Section Division 5 playoffs, and advanced to the NorCal playoffs, finishing 22-6 overall.
If there’s a bright spot for the Cougars, most of Smith’s players are underclassmen (mainly sophomores and juniors) this year who have at least one and is some cases two seasons remaining to recapture the momentum they had created during a memorable 2019-20 campaign.
“It was extremely disappointing to miss this season, especially coming off such a breakout year with this young group,” Smith said of such players as Heaven’Lee Loans Arrow, Maddy Young and Madison Noble — all freshmen on the 2019-20 squad. “We are looking forward to getting back to the court this summer. The girls have matured emotionally and physically and they are eager for the competition.”
And now they’ll have a new scorer’s table to report to and a new scoreboard to pile up the points when the 2021-22 season begins later this year.
