KELSEYVILLE — Nothing less than a win would do for the Middletown Mustangs on Saturday night against the Kelseyville Knights. They got it, but it may be a costly one.

With senior guard Luke Hoogendoorn hitting three 3-pointers during a 19-point Middletown first quarter, the Mustangs rolled to a 58-35 victory that clinched a North Central League I co-championship on the final day of the 2021-22 regular season. Middletown (12-1 league, 20-3 overall) and Cloverdale (13-1, 23-1) will share the title even though the Eagles had one more league win. The Mustangs lost three games because of COVID-19 postponements while the Eagles lost two.

Next up for both schools are the North Coast Section playoffs. Cloverdale, a Division 5 team, opens postseason play Tuesday. Middletown, a Division 4 team, plays Wednesday. They'll find out on Sunday who they are playing.

While clinching a co-championship and hitting the 20-win mark were certainly reasons to celebrate for the Mustangs and head coach G.J. Rockwell, the loss of starter Cole Ketchum late in the game left a bit of a dark cloud hovering over the Mustangs.

"We were up by 25 and I was about to pull my starters out when I looked up and he was down on the floor," Rockwell said of Ketchum.

The Middletown senior landed on another player's foot while battling for a rebound. He aggravated the same high-ankle sprain that cost him a game and limited his effectiveness late last month.

The Mustangs' leading scorer with 15 points, Ketchum was having a great game when the injury occurred, according to Rockwell.

"He was going 100 percent, he was all over the court ripping down rebounds," Rockwell said. "It's kind of a bittersweet win."

Ketchum's availability for the team's playoff opener remains up in the air.

While Hoogendoorn (13 points) was sparking Middletown's offense in the opening period against Kelseyvile, the Mustangs' defense limited the Knights to 15 points through three quarters.

"We just struggled on offense tonight and we couldn't find a rhythm until the fourth quarter," Kelseyville head coach Oscar Lopez said. "Middletown was solid across the board. They came out pretty hot in that first quarter. We played better defense in the second quarter, but they made adjustments and we didn't."

Luke Watkins led the Knights (7-7, 11-12), who are hoping to land an at-large berth in the Divison 4 playoffs, with 11 points.

"If we get in, we get in. Either way I'm pretty proud of my guys," Lopez said. "The last few weeks have been tough (because of COVID-19), but I'm just happy we had a season and got to play as many games as we did."

Manny Acosta finished with nine points for the Knights, all on 3-pointers, and Kyle Watkins added seven points. Lucas DaCosta had 11 points for Middletown.

Middletown's JVs closed out their season with a 37-23 win over Kelseyville behind 10 points from Oscar Cruz and nine from Brandon Costlow. The team went 11-2 in league play and 15-5 overall.

"I think we're co-champions with Cloverdale," Middletown head coach Jake Diehl said of the final JV league standings.

Cloverdale handed Middletown its only two league losses this season.

"I absolutely couldn't be happier with my guys," Diehl said when asked about the Mustangs' 2021-22 season. "Fourteen guys is a lot and keeping them all focused wasn't always easy, but I'm super pleased with what they did."