LAKEPORT — The Clear Lake Cardinals couldn’t sustain their early momentum as the Cloverdale Eagles dominated the final three quarters during a 61-38 victory in North Central League I varsity boys basketball action Thursday night in Lakeport.
Cloverdale, having clinched the league title Tuesday with an overtime win at Kelseyville, improved to 15-0 in the league standings and 23-2 overall. The Eagles travel to Fort Bragg for their final league Friday before opening play next Tuesday in the North Coast Section Division 5 playoffs. Clear Lake (11-5, 17-9) should make the Division 5 field as an at-large team. The tournament field will be released Sunday.
Clear Lake battled its way to a 14-11 lead after one quarter, but the Eagles limited the Cardinals to a total of 13 points over the next two quarters.
“We weren’t consistent enough for the whole game,” Clear Lake head coach Mike Damiata said. “We were playing really well in the first quarter, but we struggled to score after that. We had our lapses and they took advantage.”
Led by sophomore Tatum Kurpinsky’s 20 points, the Eagles had a 30-23 lead by halftime. A 19-4 third quarter put the game out of reach.
“Kurpinsky is just a hell of a ballplayer,” Damiata said. “That guy is good.”
Caden Axell added 16 points as the Eagles won their 15th straight game.
Damiata said he wasn’t disappointed with his team’s effort despite the final score.
“We played hard, it just wasn’t our night,” Damiata said.
Clear Lake’s coach expects to be seeded between 10-14 in the 16-team Division 5 playoff field.
“We’ll go where they seed us and we’ll be ready to play,” Damiata said. “The one thing about this team is they don’t back down.”
In the junior varsity game, down to just seven players because of injury, the Clear Lake Cardinals couldn’t overcome a poor shooting night and fell 46-44 to Cloverdale in their league and season finale.
Clear Lake suited up eight players but lost Jace Beard to a hyperextended knee in the third quarter. The team also was without Sawyer Smith (ankle) and Peyton Portlock (heel).
Zane McAuley, who has averaged in double digits all season for the Cardinals, had one of his toughest nights shooting the ball and finished with just nine points.
“We couldn’t buy a basket,” Clear Lake head coach Shady Cerezo said.
Cerezo said the loss hardly spoiled a strong season by his mostly young squad, which finished 12-4 in league and 14-8 overall.
“I’m sure proud of the growth these guys have made,” Cerezo said. “I love the team we have.”
Added Cerezo, “Winning league is what we wanted but we had a couple of bounces go against us.”
In other NCL I boys action Thursday:
Kelseyville 53, Willits 43
At Willits, coming off a tough 71-67 overtime loss at home to league champion Cloverdale on Tuesday, the Kelseyville Knights struggled to beat the last-place Wolverines before finally prevailing in their league and regular-season finale.
“We were just flat, slow, almost in slow motion,” Kelseyville head coach Oscar Lopez said. “The motivation wasn’t there.”
The game was tied at 8 after one quarter. Kelseyville pushed ahead 17-13 by halftime and led 33-27 entering the final period.
“We were missing easy layups,” Lopez said. “It was a physical game. There weren’t a lot of fouls called on either team.”
Luke Watkins led the Knights (12-4, 16-10) with 19 points and Kyle Watkins added 11. The win gives Kelseyville a share of second place in the final league standings. St. Helena beat Lower Lake on Wednesday night to also finish 12-4.
The Knights will apply for an at-large berth in the Division 4 playoffs and will learn Sunday if they’ve made it.
“I think we did enough to get in,” Lopez said. “I’m hoping for a good seed.”
First-round games for Division 4 teams are Wednesday.
In the JV game, needing a win to clinch the outright NCL I championship, the Kelseyville Knights were upset by Willits 51-49 and will instead share the league title with Middletown. Both teams end up 14-2 in the NCL I standings.
Ryder Leary led the Knights with 18 points and six steals while Max Hommer added 17 points and a team-best nine rebounds. Brock Barrick had eight points and seven rebounds.
Despite playing a strong second half, Kelseyville couldn’t quite recover from a 34-21 halftime deficit.
Middletown 41, RUP 30
At Middletown, the Middletown Mustangs turned back a determined Roseland University Prep team to finish league play and the regular season with winning records.
Middletown (9-7, 13-12) trailed 7-6 after one quarter but had a 16-11 lead by halftime.
“They’re not very big, but they’re scrappy, very fast,” Middletown head coach Jake Diehl said of the Knights. “They cover a lot of court. We don’t have that big guy who can just take it to them like other teams do.”
It wasn’t until a 16-10 fourth quarter that the Mustangs put this one safely in the win column.
“We took care of the ball and moved it pretty well (in the fourth quarter),” Diehl said.
Wyatt Moore led the Mustangs with 11 points and Bodhi Moore added nine. Adrian Backus had only two points but pulled down 15 rebounds. Nadav Dicovski finished with seven points, seven rebounds and seven steals.
Middletown is applying for an at-large berth in the Division 4 playoffs and won’t know until Sunday if it has qualified for the 16-team field.
“I think we will,” Diehl said.
The Mustangs certainly want the opportunity, according to Diehl.
“I was going to give them tomorrow off, but they want to practice,” Diehl said. “They’re hungry. They want it (another game).”
In the JV game, Troy Taber scored a career-high 22 points as Middletown closed out the season with a 55-43 victory over Roseland University. Middletown’s win combined with Kelseyville’s 51-49 loss at Willits gives the Mustangs a share of the NCL I title. Both Middletown and Kelseyville finish 14-2 in the league standings.
Taber’s 22 points were the most scored by a Mustangs player this season, according to Middletown head coach Wyatt Hall.
Anthony Bowerman and Jon Hawkins also had big nights. Both players had double-doubles — Bowerman with 14 points and 15 rebounds and Hawkins with 12 points and 17 rebounds.
The Mustangs went 21-4 overall in Hall’s first year as head coach.
“I couldn’t have asked for a better group of guys to start my head coaching career with,” said Hall, who won’t be idle for long as he moves right into track season as the Mustangs’ head coach.
