WILLITS — The Willits Wolverines pulled away in the second half to beat the Lower Lake Trojans 47-27 in a North Central League I varsity girls basketball game Wednesday night in Willits.
“We did not come out with our ‘A’ game tonight,” Lower Lake head coach Shannon Tubbs said after the Trojans (2-2 league, 4-8 overall) missed an opportunity to hand Willits (4-0, 7-3) its first league loss of the season. “We were settling for jump shots instead of attacking the basket. You need to attack the basket if you want to beat them.”
Kyleigh Mock led the Trojans with 12 points but no other Lower Lake player had more than six. Willits had three players score in double figures, including a team-high 17 points from Kiley Rose.
Willits led only 16-13 at halftime, but the Wolverines began to find the range from the field in the third quarter, outscoring the Trojans 18-7 to open up a 34-20 lead.
Lower Lake received solid all-around play from Terilyn Jo Jermany, who finished with six points, nine rebounds and four steals.
“Terilyn played great,” Tubbs said. “It was her best game of the season.”
Izabella Salazar also had nine rebounds for Lower Lake.
Both teams shot a high percentage from the free-throw line. Willits made 17 of 23 shots while Lower Lake hit 11 of 15.
The Trojans are away Friday to play Roseland University Prep (1-3) in Santa Rosa.
In the junior varsity game Wednesday, Lower Lake beat Willits 29-21 behind nine points from Ayla Ales, seven from Serenity McCoy and five from Jenna Johnston.
Lower Lake’s JVs are 2-2 in league and 6-6 overall.
In other NCL I girls action Wednesdsay:
Middletown 62, St. Helena 8
At Middletown, even with four of five starters opening the game on the bench for team disciplinary reasons, the Middletown Mustangs had no problem running away from the St. Helena Saints.
Middletown (3-0, 8-5) scored the game’s first 22 points before St. Helena (0-3, 1-9) sank a pair of free throws late in the first quarter, which ended with the Mustangs comfortably in front 26-2. Mia Hoogendoorn scored 10 of her team-leading 17 points in the opening period.
“She played really well, made like zero mistakes in the first quarter,” Middletown head coach Andy Brown said of the freshman.
Middletown took a 50-3 lead into halftime and held St. Helena without a field goal until early in the fourth quarter. The entire second half was played with a running clock.
Brown benched four of his starters for missing team practices last week. Filling in off his bench were Hoogendoorn, Kaitlynn High-Young (eight points), Amanda Hart (six points) and Kamryn Atkins.
“My reserves, they play like starters,” Brown said.
All nine Mustangs scored at least one point. Skylar Williams and Ella Rockwell finished with nine points apiece and Paige Astley, the only starter on the floor when the game opened, had seven.
“We were defense heavy when the game opened and we took advantage of some turnovers,” Brown said of Middletown’s 22-0 start.
The Mustangs did everything they could in the second half to keep the score from becoming even more lopsided, including using almost all of the 30-second possession clock neary every trip down the floor.
The JV game between the two schools was canceled because St. Helena’s team is in COVID-19 quarantine.
Middletown’s teams are back in action Friday when they visit Lakeport to play Clear Lake (2-1).
Clear Lake 58, RUP 34
At Lakeport, Sydney Howe scored 21 points, Sierra Bruch added 11 and Abby Mertle 10 as the Clear Lake Cardinals jumped on the Roseland University Prep Knights early and cruised to their second straight league win.
Clear Lake (2-1, 6-7) led 14-7 after one quarter and 27-13 by halftime.
“The Fort Bragg tournament was a wake-up call for us, our come-to-Jesus tournament,” Clear Lake head coach Phil Psalmonds of his team’s 1-2 finish last week on the Mendocino County coast. “We chose to step up.”
The Cardinals were playing at home for the first time all season outside of an alumni game in late November.
“It was sure nice to be home,” Psalmonds said. “I’ve never had that happen before (first home game in early January). It was good to be home.”
A little home cooking certainly agreed with Howe, a senior wing who had her second straight 20-point game, including three 3-pointers.
“She’s getting better and better and starting to hit her shot,” Psalmonds said.
Mertle finished with a double-double as she had 20 rebounds to go along with her 10 points.
Psalmonds also praised the player of Zoey Pepper.
“The best game I’ve seen her play,” Psalmonds said. “She did all the little stuff. She scored four points, but she played a lot better than that.”
Amber Smart had seven points in the win.
Clear Lake hosts Middletown (3-0) on Friday night. Roseland University Prep is 1-3 in league action.
The Cardinals also won the JV game 60-18.
