The Ferndale Wildcats won their Dick Niclai opener on Tuesday night, defeating visiting Hoopa 53-27 in girls basketball.

With the win, the Cats advance to play at No. 1 seed Fortuna on Thursday night, with the game set to tip off at 7 p.m.

The Warriors matched up well with their Little 4 rivals early in the game, with just four points separating the two teams at halftime.

But the Cats’s defense stepped up after the interval, holding the visitors to just four points in each of the third and fourth quarters.

Dentilla Albers and Dawn Van Pelt each finished with a team-high seven points for the Warriors, who close out the season 4-16.

No scoring stats were available for Ferndale.