Submitted photo – Former Eureka player Paige Lyons stopped by to give the Loggers a pre-game speech on Friday night.

An old friend stopped by Hercules High School on Friday night to offer some words of encouragement to the Eureka girls, who went on to post an impressive 75-45 win over the home team in their season opener in basketball.

Paige Lyons, a team MVP from last season who is attending Cal, took time out of her schedule to take in the game, giving the Loggers an inspirational speech beforehand.

It appeared to work too.

Sophia Chalmers led a balanced and deep performance by the Loggers, with all 13 players contributing and playing significant minutes against the Division-III Titans.

Chalmers finished with 23 points, while Carly Boynton had 12 and Malia Guilbert 10.

“It was a good game,” Eureka head coach Michael Harvey said. “I think the intensity in our full court game was the difference.”

The Loggers are looking to go more up-tempo this season and utilize the team’s speed, and if the first game is any indication it could be a good switch.

Paige Lyons talks to the Eureka players at Hercules on Friday.

Kellina Pratton also had a big game, finishing with seven points and six assists, while McKenna Beach had six points and five steals.

“Our defense was phenomenal in transition,” Harvey said.

Many of the new faces also impressed, including junior Aquene Tollefson, who is coming off a dominating season on the soccer field, as well as freshman Claire Maples, who has adjusted quickly to the varsity level.

“We expect big things out of her,” Harvey said of Maples, a 5-foot-10 forward.

The Loggers will play a second Division-III school on Saturday, traveling to nearby Pinole Valley.

On Tuesday, the Eureka girls will play Hoopa at home as part of a quadruple-header of games, along with the JV girls, and the varsity and JV boys who will play Cloverdale.

Mendocino 36, South Fork  53

The South Fork girls wasted little time responding to a season-opening defeat at Laytonville on Thursday with a comfortable win over Mendocino on Friday.

Kaylei Valk led a balanced performance for the Cubs with a team-high 15 points, as the home team outscored the visitors in each of the final three quarters.

Head coach Chris Contreras described it as a “great team effort,” with nine of the 10 South Fork players scoring.

Leading by one at halftime, the Cubs outscored the visitors by 10 points in the third quarter to take control of the game.

Kaylee Cotter continued her impressive start to the season with nine points, while Jade Johns scored seven and Michaela Mcmahon six.