KELSEYVILLE — Three nights after losing to Middletown in the finals of their own tournament, the 49th annual Stokes Invitational, the Kelseyville Knights were seeing 20-20 in the first half against the Hamilton City Braves in non-league varsity boys basketball action at Kelseyville.
Kelseyville scored 20 points in each of the first two quarters, a 20-5 second quarter making all the difference in the Knights’ 74-61 victory against Hamilton City squad that entered play 8-4.
“We needed it,” Kelseyville head coach Oscar Lopez said of the bounceback victory over the Braves following a hard-fought 49-44 loss to Middletown on Saturday in the Stokes finals. “We had to go toe to toe with them. They wouldn’t go away.”
Powered by 10 points from senior center Riley Stickney in the first quarter, the Braves forged a 23-20 lead while also getting the Knights (5-4) into some serious foul trouble. Hamilton City reached the double-bonus in the opening period as Kelseyville had 10 teams fouls to Hamilton City’s one.
“We just came out kind of flat and fouled a lot,” Lopez said.
Kelseyville owned the second quarter while opening up a 40-28 halftime lead.
“Luke got kind of hot,” Lopez said of guard Luke Watkins, who finished the first half with 21 of his team-leading 27 points. “And J.C. (Chavez) had two big 3s that kind of turned momentum in our favor.”
Hamilton City closed to eight points midway through the third quarter before Kelseyville pushed its lead back into double digits to stay. Jake Keithly (16 points) played well down the stretch for the Knights, according to Lopez
“Jake is the one who stepped up in the second half for us,” said Lopez, who also praised the defense played by Kyle Watkins.
Assigned to guard Hamilton City’s big man over the final quarter and a half, the freshman held Stickney scoreless.
“He did some great work for us,” Lopez said.
Kyle Watkins also had nine points while Chavez finished with eight.
The Knights finished with 11 3-point field goals, five of them by Luke Watkins and three by Keithly. Luke Watkins also had six rebounds while Keithly had five rebounds and three blocks.
Kelseyville won the junior varsity game (score not reported).
Both Knights teams return to action Thursday against Castlemont (6-1) at Oakland. JV action tips off at 5:30 p.m.
