LAKE COUNTY — Paige Astley did for Middletown what Heaven’Lee Loans Arrow did for Upper Lake as both teams claimed undefeated league championships during the 2021-22 girls basketball season.
While Astley, a senior, helped guide the Mustangs to a 13-0 record in the North Central League I, Loans Arrow, a junior, had her fingerprints all over Upper Lake’s 9-0 mark in the NCL II standings. As a result of their contributions during the season, Astley and Loans Arrow have been named the co-most valuable players on the 2022 edition of the All-County team as selected by the Lake County Record-Bee.
“She’s always been the rock of our team,” said Middletown head coach Andy Brown, who announced last month he will not be returning next season. “Having her on my last team, that’s a good note to go out on.”
Said Upper Lake head coach Mike Smith of Loans Arrow, “Heaven has matured so much as a basketball player over the past two years. She has dedicated a lot of time developing her game.”
Astley
The Mustangs scheduled up during the preseason, a move that greatly aided them during their run to the NCL I title. Middletown went 19-6 overall, including a 62-44 victory over Upper Lake during the 49th annual Stokes Invitational last December in Kelseyville where Astley led the way with 18 points. Loans Arrow had a team-best 13 points for the Cougars.
“Other players on the team looked for her to lead the way,” Brown said of Astley, the co-MVP on the All-NCL I team this season. “She accepted the responsibility. She knew she could do it and she did. She did it on a daily basis.”
Astley’s leadership didn’t only present itself on game days, but also in practice.
“She came out every day ready to improve herself on the court. Other players would ask me how they could get more playing time and I would tell them, ‘Line yourself up against Paige (in practice) and show me what you can do.’”
Added Brown, “Going through a season is a process, but she made every minute worth it.”
Loans Arrow
Loans Arrow was a freshman starter on Upper Lake’s 2019-20 team that won the NCL II championship and reached the NorCal Division 5 playoffs, finishing 22-6 overall. She would earn a share of the league’s co-most valuable player award that season, just as she did this year. Of course, like other players throughout Lake County, Loans Arrow lost her entire sophomore year (2020-21) to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Unlike many other players, she used that time off to sharpen her skills and returned stronger than ever as Upper Lake posted a 20-3 overall mark this season. Unfortunately for the Cougars, a weak preseason schedule led to them drawing only a No. 7 seed for the sectional playoffs (compared to No. 4 in 2019-20). After beating Clear Lake in the first round, they ran into powerhouse Branson in the quarterfinals and lost 57-32. Branson, the No. 2 seed, went on to win the Division 5 title.
Upgrading his team’s preseason schedule is high on Smith’s list going into next season when Loans Arrow and several of her teammates return for their senior year and hopefully another extended run into the postseason, one similar to 2019-20.
First team
Named to the All-County first team are Middletown junior Jaidyn Brown, a defensive dynamo for the Mustangs, and freshman Mia Hoogendoorn, who opened the season as a reserve but worked her way into the starting lineup before the year ended. They are joined by Upper Lake senior guard Zoey Petrie, who shared All-NCL II most valuable player honors with Loans Arrow this season, and Upper Lake junior center Taylar Minnis, who provided the Cougars with a solid post presence.
Rounding out the All-County first team squad is the county’s best shooter, senior guard Sydney Howe of the Clear Lake Cardinals, the third-place team in the NCL I.
Second team
The All-County second team features a pair of Clear Lake juniors, guard Sierra Bruch and center Montana Wells, Upper Lake junior guard and defensive standout Maddy Young, who split her winter sports season between basketball and wrestling, Middletown’s versatile junior guard Skylar Williams, and Lower Lake senior guard and team leader Margarita Cordova.
Coach of the Year
Brown’s final season with Middletown couldn’t have gone much better. After leading his team through a challenging preseason, the Mustangs ran the table in the NCL I and did what few other county teams have accomplished in recent years, win a postseason game in the ultra-difficult Division 4 playoffs.
“I had a great time coaching these girls,” Brown said.
