The St. Bernard’s boys opened the Kelseyville tournament with their third straight win late on Thursday night.

The Crusaders defeated Upper Lake 60-45 and improved to 5-2 on the season as they begin to build some momentum.

The in-form Liam Dyer continued his impressive start to the new season with another big night in the win, finishing with a double-double.

The junior guard scored 26 points and added 10 rebounds.

Teammate Carson Costa also impressed in the win and finished with 17 points and three assists, while Garrett Shanahan had eight points and was a force on the boards with 11 rebounds.

Once again, the Crusaders were a little sluggish in the opening half of their tournament opener, but they grew into the game and began to take control.

“The first half of game one of these road tournaments have been a challenge and it was again today,” assistant coach Pat Shanahan said. “We responded in the second half though and played more like ourselves with energy and passion.”

Sophomores Trenten Hagler and Lucas Vandermeer each also impressed for the SB boys.

Hagler dished out seven assists, while Vandermeer finished with seven points and made his presence felt in other ways.

“It was nice to see Lucas playing physical in the second half,” said Pat Shanahan, who added that Hagler did a good job finding his teammates.

Costa also impressed the coaches.

“Carson can really score, but he had his best game defensively today,” Pat Shanahan said. 

According to the coaches, Garrett Shanahan “controlled the boards” and Dyer “continued to put the ball in the hoop.”

The Crusaders continue tournament play on Friday.

Redding Christian 64, Fortuna 39

The Fortuna boys opened the Anderson tournament on Thursday night and fell to Redding Christian.

The game was close early, but a big second quarter that saw Redding Christian outscore Fortuna 23-8 left the Huskies trailing by 18 at halftime.

Jack Stacy led the way offensively for the Huskies and finished with a team-high eight points, while Lolo Payne and Jace Barsanti each added five points.

Barsanti also had three steals.

Jake Houseworth finished with a team-high six rebounds and three steals for Fortuna, which dropped to 3-7 on the season.

The Huskies will try to bounce back when they continue tournament play against Trinity on Friday.