Photos by Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com – CR’s Bree Northern in action on Wednesday night.

By Ray Hamill — There is something magical happening right now on the basketball courts at College of the Redwoods, and the local community is taking notice.

Another packed house saw both the men’s and women’s teams win again on Wednesday night, with a pair of comprehensive performances from a pair of teams that have captured the imagination of North Coast basketball fans.

Right now, both are leading the way in conference play as they each approach the halfway mark.

The men are 4-0 in the Golden Valley Conference (17-3 overall) and hold a two-win lead over Butte (2-1 in the GVC) in the standings, with a key road matchup against the Roadrunners looming on February 8.

The Corsairs have won 12 straight games and have not tasted defeat since mid-November.

The women, meanwhile, have been almost as hot, winning 13 of their last 15 games dating back to mid-November.

They are 3-1 in the GVC after Wednesday’s 88-67 win at home to Siskiyous, with Feather River and Butte each at 2-1.

Lassen, whom the CR women lost to, are 1-2.

There’s still a long way to go in conference play for the CR women, but as they close in on the halfway mark they find themselves right in the mix for a championship.

As do the men, and the prospect of a pair of conference titles this season appears to be a very realistic one.

So too is the prospect of a couple of home playoff games, which would be a fantastic occasion for North Coast basketball, and nothing less than an enthusiastic community of fans deserve.

Both teams will close out the first half of conference play at Shasta on Saturday, with the men playing at 1 p.m. and the women at 3 p.m.

The Shasta men are 1-2 in the GVC and 10-11 overall, while the Shasta women are 0-3 and 12-8.

Check out some of the second-half highlights from the CR men’s 96-71 win over Siskiyous on Wednesday.