LAKEPORT — Clear Lake emptied its bench during a 21-4 first quarter and the Cardinals went on to rout St. Helena 65-12 during a North Central League I varsity girls basketball game that ended with a running clock Tuesday night in Lakeport.
“All the reserves played well,” Clear Lake head coach Phil Psalmonds said. “They got a chance to play and show what they can do. I was proud of all of them.”
One of those reserves, Maddy Brewster, scored a career-high 11 points to go along with a team-best 12 rebounds, two steals, two assists and one block. Starter Montana Wells led the Cardinals (2-0, 5-4) with 16 points without picking up a single foul, a notable achievement, according to Psalmonds.
“She always seems to be in foul trouble,” Psalmonds joked.
Sierra Bruch added eight ponts while Rubi Ford, Abby Mertle and Lilianna Cruz had six each.
“These are the hardest games to coach,” Psalmonds said. “You’re trying to get everyone in there and not let the game get out of hand.”
The Cardinals led 35-8 at halftime and 51-12 through three quarters.
Clear Lake won the JV game 38-24.
In other girls action Tuesday:
Fort Bragg 60, Kelseyville 26
At Fort Bragg, the Fort Bragg Timberwolves parlayed a 16-6 first quarter into an easy win over the Kelseyville Knights.
“We missed a lot of easy baskets, but not enough to win the game,” Kelseyville head coach Terry McIntire said of what was a long night for his club on both offense and defense. “We’ve just got to play better basketball. We’ve got to play better as a team.”
Fort Bragg improved to 2-1 in the league standings while Kelseyville fell to 0-3 and 1-12 overall.
Three players accounted for all of Kelseyville’s points, led by Lilly Wiser and Faith McIntire with 10 each. Olivia Hommer had the other six.
Fort Bragg’s rebounding, especially on the offensive boards, made a big difference, according to McIntire.
“They would miss a shot, grab the rebound and put it back in,” McIntire said. “We need to do a better job boxing out.”
In junior varsity action, Kelseyville beat Fort Bragg 39-11 behind 15 points from Brianna Davis and 12 from Isabella Ostrand.
Matisyn Mateer added six points as Kelseyville improved to 2-1 in league play and 3-3 overall.
Kelseyville’s teams have the league bye Thursday before returning home Saturday to play St. Helena. JV action Saturday begins at 4 p.m. with the varsity to follow.
In other league games Tuesday:
Cloverdale 49, Lower Lake 39
At Cloverdale, the Cloverdale Eagles never looked back after a 20-2 first quarter and beat the Lower Lake Trojans to improve to 3-0 in the NCL I standings.
Tiahna Tubbs led the Trojans (1-2 league, 2-8 overall) with 20 points while Rebecca Theodorou added eight and Izabella Salazar seven.
Lower Lake won the JV game 26-22. Brooke Watson and Alyxa Milano scored six points apiece for Lower Lake, now 6-4 overall.
The Trojans are home Thursday to play Willits.
