LAKEPORT — Ethan Maize scored nine points in the fourth quarter quarter, including two big 3-pointers, but it was the defense he played against St. Helena's Will Meyer that may have been the biggest factor in Clear Lake's down-to-the-wire 62-59 victory over the Saints in North Central League I varsity boys basketball action Saturday evening at Lakeport.

Meyer lit up the Cardinals (4-2 league, 8-6 overall) for 36 points earlier in the week in a 62-49 win at St. Helena, but he only had 10 on Saturday night with Maize dogging him up and down the floor in Clear Lake's man-to-man defense.

"Ethan was in his grill the whole game," Clear Lake head coach Mike Damiata said. "He played phenomenal defense the whole way."

Playing its third game in as many nights, Clear Lake turned in its most complete four quarters of the league season, according to Damiata, and easily its best first half.

"I was saying the other night that we play our best in the second halves of games, but we had energy the whole game tonight," Damiata said.

Clear Lake outscored the Saints (3-4, 6-8) in each of the first two quarters to open up a 31-24 halftime lead, a big turnaround from the 38-18 halftime deficit the Cardinals faced on Tuesday in St. Helena.

A 19-11 third quarter favoring the Saints gave them a 43-42 lead going into a back-and-forth fourth quarter. St. Helena led by four with three minutes left, but Clear Lake's defense stiffened down the stretch, according to Damiata.

"Our pressure stayed intense and that allowed us to come back," Damiata said.

Clear Lake pushed in front but couldn't put the game away at the free-throw line, hitting only one of four shots in the final minute, which let the Saints stick around, according to Damiata.

As the final seconds ticked off the clock, St. Helena had a chance to tie the score but missed a 3-pointer as the final buzzer sounded.

"That was a huge win for us against another Division 5 team," Damiata said with an eye toward the North Coast Section playoffs that are a little more than two weeks away.

Clear Lake is currently in the midst of a six-games-in-seven-days stretch, one that resumes after a day of rest Sunday with an away game Monday in Middletown (5-1) followed by a road game Tuesday at league-leading Cloverdale (9-0), which is undefeated on the season at 18-0. On Wednesday, the Cardinals hit the road to play Lower Lake.

Zane Robinson's 17 points led another balanced Clear Lake scoring attack. Maize was next with 12 points, Jack Daskam added 11, Jake Soderquist seven and Drake Smart and Maddox Albaum five apiece.

"Zane scored like I need him to score," Damiata said. "We are a balanced team, if one guy struggles another guy picks him up," Damiata said.

Damiata also had high praise for the play of sophomore point guard Jake Soderquist, especially during the Cardinals' 20-point fourth quarter, and for the interior defense of both Daskam and Albaum.

"He really controlled things for us," Damiata said of Soderquist. "For a sophomore, he does a great job running the offense."

Soderquist also had two of the Cardinals' six 3-pointers on the night, with Maize leading the team with three and older brother Joey Soderquist getting the other.

"Jack and Maddox did a good job being physical with their big guys," Damiata said.

Following the game Damiata said he told his players to get some much-needed rest Sunday.

"I don't think that wil be a problem because they were exhausted," Damiata said. "We know what's coming against Middletown. It's going to be another physical game."

Middletown beat Clear Lake 46-38 on Thursday in Lakeport.

Clear Lake also won the junior varsity game on Saturday, beating St. Helena 48-40 behind 15 points apiece from Graden Greer and Liam Orr.

"We brought a lot of energy," Clear Lake head coach Shady Cerezo said.

The Cardinals, now 2-2 in league play, also got a big lift from Peyton Portlock in the final minute when he scored all six of his points.

Another key to the win, according to Cerezo, was the rebounding and defense of Vincente Ortega, who also finished with six points.

Clear Lake's JV boys and girls host Middletown on Monday while the school's varsity teams are playing in Middletown. The JV girls tip off at 5:30 p.m. with the JV boys to follow.

Varsity girls

Clear Lake's varsity girls hosted the Fort Bragg Timberwolves to kick off Saturday's trifecta of games at the Clear Lake High School gym, and just like the varsity boys contest with St. Helena, this NCL I game went down to the final shot as Fort Bragg held on for a 42-40 win when Amber Smart's 16-footer at the buzzer just missed.

"It looked good, it had the right trajectory, but it just missed to the right," Clear Lake head coach Phil Psalmonds said of Smart's buzzer-beating shot.

Fort Bragg held a 42-39 lead with 2.1 seconds left when Clear Lake's Montana Wells was fouled and went to the line to shoot two free throws. She made the first but purposely missed the second, a strategy that almost worked as teammate Sydney Bruch deflected the rebound to Wells, who got the ball to Smart for a final shot.

Clear Lake (4-3, 7-9) led 16-9 after one quarter, 22-18 at halftime and 33-29 going to the fourth quarter before Fort Bragg (7-2, 12-6) rallied down the stretch to pull out the win.

"This might be the best we've played all season," Psalmonds said.

Wells led the Cardinals with 10 points, Sierra Bruch added nine, Abby Mertle had six and Howe five.

"It was a really fun game to be a part of," Psalmonds said.

Clear Lake is on the road Monday to play league-leading Middletown (6-0).