LAKEPORT — Clear Lake’s strategy to make someone other than Mia Hoogendoorn beat them worked on Saturday night as the Cardinals escaped with a 31-30 victory over the defending North Central League I champions in a battle of undefeated varsity girls basketball teams at Lakeport.
The win moves Clear Lake atop the league standings at 4-0 while a Middletown squad that suited up only six players falls to 3-1.
Hoogendoorn, only a sophomore, was coming off a career-best 32-point effort Thursday night in a league win over St. Helena.
“Our plan was to take her away and make someone else beat us,” Clear Lake head coach Phil Psalmonds said. “Skylar (Williams) almost did.”
Hoogendoorn finished with only three points, all free throws, while Williams, a senior, and Amanda Hart, a junior, did their best to rally the Mustangs down the stretch. Williams sank two of her three 3-pointers in the fourth quarter and Hart added another 3-pointer to whittle a 25-16 Clear Lake lead after three quarters down to a single point.
Clear Lake helped Middletown along the way by going 4-for-11 from the free-throw line in the fourth quarter. In fact, Abby Mertle, the Cardinals’ senior center, made all four of those free throws while scoring all six of Clear Lake’s points in the final period.
“It does feel good to come out on top in this one, it was a tough game,” Psalmonds said.
Middletown head coach Roxi Hoogendoorn said her six players left it all out on the court and simply ran out of time.
“Clear Lake is a well-coached, strong team and you can’t take anything away from them,” Hoogendoorn said. “But my girls never gave up even when they were exhausted.”
Middletown’s normal compliment of seven players was reduced by one late in the win over St. Helena on Thursday when starting senior point guard Jaidyn Brown went down with a knee injury, the extent of which has yet to be determined and won’t be until she’s undergone a MRI, which could happen next week.
“It’s not like we haven’t been here before,” Hoogendoorn said of playing with only six, which the Mustangs did last month when Brown missed games with a shoulder injury.
Sierra Bruch’s 12 points led the Cardinals while Mertle and Montana Wells each had eight. Williams had a team-best 11 points for the Mustangs, Hart added seven and Abigail Tacla had six.
Clear Lake, now 7-4 overall, hosts Lower Lake on Tuesday. Middletown, 9-4 overall, hosts Kelseyville on Tuesday.
Clear Lake won the junior varsity game 43-17 behind 16 points from Kiley Voris and 13 from Kaylah Billig. Karyn Greer added eight. The Cardinals are 4-0 in league play. Brooklyn Wood and Autumn Clark had six points apiece for Middletown, which was in foul trouble early on.
“Four of my five starters had at least three fouls by halftime and one (Harley Holley) fouled out in the second quarter,” Middletown head coach Jamie Burns said.
In other NCL I girls action Saturday:
St. Helena 50, Kelseyville 43
At Kelseyville, Ashlyn Klein came off the bench to score a team-best 13 points, including three 3-pointers, but not even a 20-point fourth quarter for Kelseyville was enough to catch the St. Helena Saints, who escaped the league cellar with their road win, the school’s first NCL I victory since the 2013-14 season.
St. Helena (1-3) took a 39-23 lead into the fourth quarter. Kelseyville (0-4, 1-13) got as close as four points down the stretch.
The Knights lost despite putting three players in double digits. Besides Klein’s 13 points, Olivia Hommer added 10 points and 12 rebounds while Lily Wiser had 10 points and seven rebounds.
“Ashlyn Klein did very well,” McIntire said. “She was actually shooting the ball, which is what we’re trying to get our girls to do.”
Breakdowns in defense hurt the Knights during the game. Although they led 8-7 after one quarter, St. Helena pushed in front 23-15 by halftime.
“We need to work on the defense,” McIntire said.
The Knights hit the road Tuesday to play Middletown.
Kelseyville did win the JV game 35-25 as Matisyn Mateer scored 17 points and Isabella Ostrand added 10.
Lower Lake def. RUP (forfeit)
At Lower Lake, Roseland University Prep forfeited varsity and JV league games to the host Trojans. Lower Lake’s varsity is now 2-3 in league play.
The Trojans are on the road Tuesday to play Clear Lake.
