FORT BRAGG — Heaven’Lee Loans Arrow struck early and tournament most valuable player Maddy Young sealed the deal at the free-throw line late as the Upper Lake Cougars captured the girls championship of the Vern Piver Holiday Tournament with a big 44-40 win over Del Norte of Crescent City on Friday night in Fort Bragg.
“We knew it was a big game,” Upper Lake co-head coach Annie Pivniska-Petrie said of the matchup of 11-win teams. “I’m really proud of the girls for stepping up.”
Del Norte (11-3) rallied from a 28-12 halftime deficit to make it close at the end, but Young (11 points) went 4-for-5 from the free-throw line in the fourth quarter to hold off the Warriors, who were as close as 42-39 with 2:31 left.
Loans Arrow led the Cougars with 19 points, scoring 10 in the first quarter, including two 3-pointers, as Upper Lake took a 13-3 lead. She had 14 points by halftime. The four-year varsity veteran also went 7-for-8 from the line.
“It was a big game for her offensively,” Pivniska-Petrie said.
The Warriors, who own a win over the only team that has beaten Upper Lake (12-1) so far this season, the Ferndale Wildcats, went out of their way to take senior center Taylar Minnis away from the Cougars.
“They double-teamed Minnis, and that was new look for us,” Pivniska-Petrie said. “We adjusted.”
Minnis, who had big fourth quarters in each of Upper Lake’s first two tournament wins, was named to the All-Tournament team along with Loans Arrow.
The Cougars mixed up zone defenses to slow down the Warriors’ offense and biggest scorers, according to Pivniska-Petrie.
“We knew who their shooters were,” Pivniska-Petrie said. “We locked in on defense, we knew what we needed to do. We are very proud of how the girls played on defense.
“Overall we really focus on team defense,” Pivniska-Petrie added.
The Cougars received contributions from starters and reserves alike during the tournament, according to Pivniska-Petrie.
“Everyone who played this week helped us with this,” Pivniska-Petrie said of winning the tournament title.
Upper Lake hits the road for North Central League II games next week against Sonoma Academy (Wednesday) and Credo (Friday). The Cougars won their first two league games earlier this month.
In other final-round tournament action Friday:
Clear Lake 39. Durham 38
Sierra Bruch led the Clear Lake Cardinals with 16 points, but it was her rebounding all game, and especially down the stretch, that preserved a victory over Durham in the seventh-place game of the Vern Piver Holiday Tournament.
With Clear Lake clinging to the lead with less than a minute to play, Bruch missed the front end of a one-and-one but rebounded her own miss. Durham had one last chance to win the game in the final seconds but missed a shot that Bruch rebounded, and the Cardinals were able to run out the clock.
“She must have had 15 rebounds,” Clear Lake head coach Phil Psalmonds said of Bruch.
Clear Lake trailed until the final minutes when a Bruch 3-pointer put the Cardinals ahead to stay.
Amber Smart finished with eight points, including two 3-pointers, and Montana Wells added five points.
Durham led 19-16 at halftime and 28-25 entering the fourth quarter.
Clear Lake opened the tournament with close losses to Windsor and Fortuna on Wednesday and Thursday.
“This tournament made us better,” Psalmonds said as the Cardinals (4-4) jump back into their North Central League I schedule Tuesday at home against St. Helena. They are away Thursday at Roseland University Prep and home again Saturday, Jan. 7 to play Middletown.
Clear Lake won its league opener Dec. 13 at Willits.
