Somehow we’ve already entered the final week of league play for high school basketball in the North Coast and while we have some idea of who will come out on top for each league, there’s still much to keep your eyes on before we head to postseason play.
Both St. Bernard’s teams are in control of their own destiny as far as locking up the Little 4 league completely, currently the Crusaders have clinched a portion of the title but the 4-0 boy’s team needs one win in their final two road games against Hoopa Valley and Ferndale, or a South Fork loss in their two games this week to earn the league title.
The Crusaders boys have won 11 in a row heading into Tuesday night’s game against Clear Lake and will head into the Dick Niclai Tournament with confidence besting many Big 5 teams along with each of the Little 4 teams.
It’s a similar situation for the girls’ St. Bernard’s team, which also finds themself at a perfect 4-0 in conference with a portion of the league title clinched. The Crusaders can clinch the league entirely with a single win or having both Ferndale and Hoopa Valley lose a game. St. Bernard’s will have a chance to clinch at home Tuesday night with the Crusaders hosting Hoopa, and if that doesn’t go to plan, they’ll get another crack on Thursday at home against Ferndale.
The girls’ Crusaders’ 10-game win streak ended on Saturday with a 52-50 loss to McKinleyville but it wasn’t all doom and gloom for St. Bernard’s, with junior guard Laila Florvilus scoring her 1,000th point in her high school career, a feat many players don’t complete in their career that Florvilus reached with a whole year to spare. Florvilus scored 22 points in the loss to the Panthers.
The girl’s Big 5 could also be wrapped up Tuesday night with a showdown between the two top teams, the Eureka Loggers and the Arcata Tigers. The Loggers are a perfect 6-0 in Big 5 play this season and are an impressive 18-4 overall but they have Arcata right on their heels at 5-1 (15-5 overall), a win Tuesday would clinch the league for a third season in a row. The two teams will face off in Eureka with a chance for the Tigers to throw a wrench into the Loggers’ plan for a perfect league record.
The two teams met in Arcata earlier this month where the Loggers’ grabbed a 53-43 win. Since that meeting, both teams have only lost one time, and it came to the same opponent, the St. Bernard’s Crusaders. If Arcata were to get the win, the Tigers would play Del Norte and Eureka would play Fortuna in the league play finals. Del Norte and Fortuna have combined to go 1-12 in the Big 5 this season.
In the middle is the McKinleyville Panthers who could finish tied for second in the league if Arcata were to drop their two games this week.
The league that’s the most up for grabs is the boy’s Big 5. The McKinleyville Panthers lead the league at 5-2 but they have a bye early this week and will have a chance to clinch a share of the title Friday at home versus Eureka. Eureka currently sits at 3-3 and will face Arcata on Wednesday night on the road, in a game that’s crucial to both teams. The Arcata Tigers are 4-2 and with a win would move into a tie with McKinleyville at 5-2. Arcata will then travel to Crescent City on Friday to play Del Norte to wrap up their league play.
Put simply, if McKinleyville wins Friday, they secure a portion of the league title. If Arcata wins both games this week, they also guarantee a portion of the league title. Same deal for Eureka, if the Loggers win both games this week, they too clinch a portion of the league title.
But if you’re looking for drama though, having Eureka go 2-0, beating Arcata and McKinleyville, and then the Tigers beating Del Norte could have a three-way tie at 5-3 for the top of the Big 5 standings.
That result would lead to coin flips to determine seeding for the Niclai Tournament, which features the top three teams from each league, with the league winners receiving a first-round bye. Regardless of the outcome, it’ll be an action-packed week to close league play around the H-DNL.
Dylan McNeill can be reached at 707-441-0526.