MIDDLETOWN — Mia Hoogendoorn scored 10 of her team-leading 13 points in the second half to rally the Middletown Mustangs to a 32-26 win over the Clear Lake Cardinals in North Central League I varsity girls basketball action Monday night in Middletown.
The Mustangs (7-3 league, 13-6 overall) handed Clear Lake (10-2, 13-6) only its second league loss. The Cardinals began the night tied with Fort Bragg atop the NCL I standings. Fort Bragg played Monday at Willits (final score not available).
Middletown's defense held Clear Lake to 11 points over the final two quarter. Senior center Abby Mertle scored all eight of her points in the first half for the Cardinals, who led 15-12 at halftime. Another of Clear Lake's top scorers, senior guard Sierra Bruch, scored just two of her eight points in the second half.
"We changed up defenses in the second quarter and we changed it again at halftime," Middletown head coach Roxi Holt said.
Limiting the Cardinals to one shot on nearly every possession was key, according to Holt.
Kamryn Atkins pulled down 13 rebounds and Skylar Williams had eight boards.
"The girls really stepped it up and were strong with the ball," Holt said. "They did the job down low."
Senior point guard Jaidyn Brown returned to the Middletown lineup after missing the team's win over St. Helena on Friday with a sore knee. While she scored only one point in limited playing time, her presence allowed the Mustangs to diversify their attack and also rest other starters during the game.
"She always helps when she's out there," Holt said. "She opens things up for us and allows us to give other starters a break."
"They play their 1-2-2 zone really well," Clear Lake head coach Phil Psalmonds said of the Mustangs. "They gave us the outside and we hit some 3-point shots (Clear Lake hit five on the night), but they closed things down inside."
Added Psalmonds, "The stat of the night is we had one two-point basket ... and that was in the first quarter."
Middletown won despite missing 17 free throws. The Mustangs went 12-for-29 from the line while Clear Lake was 9-for-13. On a positive note, Holt said the Mustangs made nine free throws in the second half, six of those in the fourth quarter, to hold off Clear Lake.
Besides her team-leading 13 points, the sophomore Hoogendoorn had five steals, four blocks and four rebounds.
In the junior varsity game, the Middletown girls held on for a 39-34 win over Clear Lake after building a 28-8 halftime lead.
"We came out and played a solid first half," Middletown head coach Jamie Burns said. "We talked a lot about defense and hitting the boards before the game and we came out and executed. We lost some steam in the second half but were able to dig deep to keep the lead. The girls wanted it tonight."
Harley Holley's 15 points led the Mustangs, Brooklyn Woods had eight and Caylee Saelor five, including a 3-pointer. Clear Lake scoring wasn't reported.
In other NCL I girls action Monday:
RUP 34, Lower Lake 32
At Santa Rosa, a Lower Lake rally came up short in the fourth quarter as the Lower Lake Trojans fell to the Roseland University Prep Knights.
The Trojans (5-8 league, 8-15 overall) cut a seven-point deficit to two down the stretch without their top player, junior guard Tiahna Tubbs, on the floor. Tubbs banged her knee with 4 1/2 minutes left in the fourth quarter and missed the remainder of the game. She was the Trojans' high scorer with 18 points.
"Give a team hungry for a win the opportunity to smell a victory and that will happen," Lower Lake head coach Shannon Tubbs said. "We came out flat and didn't have any energy. We had opportunities but couldn't make shots at the end."
RUP (3-8) took a 28-26 lead into the fourth quarter.
Rebecca Theodorou had seven points for the Trojans and Ayla Ales added five.
In the JV game, Lower Lake beat RUP 34-14 to improve to 9-4 in league play and 13-8 overall as Brooke Watson and Mary Watson led the Trojans with 11 and 10 points, respectively.
"This was a great game to reach deep into our bench," Lower Lake head coach Jessica Wiley said. "We got a nice lead early on and were able to rotate everyone in and out frequently."
Added Wiley, "Multiple girls led the team at point and were able to experience the leadership aspect of the role. We cut down on turnovers and had many open looks. Julia Rapisura got our final basket at the buzzer. It was great to see the teamwork tonight."
St. Helena 53, Kelseyville 38
At St. Helena, the St. Helena Saints put the game away with a 19-11 fourth quarter, beating the Kelseyville Knights for the second time in league play this season.
St. Helena improved to 2-9 in the NCL I standings while Kelseyville fell to 0-12 and 1-21 overall.
"St Helena played a decent game, but we handed the ball over a lot," Kelseyville head coach Terry McIntire said. "We're not playing as a team."
Lily Wiser and Faith McIntire each had 10 points for the Knights. McIntire also pulled down nine rebounds. Cali Schnabl added seven points while Olivia Hommer had five points, 10 rebounds and four steals.
In the JV game, Matisyn Mateer's 21 points powered Kelseyville to a 45-16 win over St. Helena. Madison Renfro added nine points.
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