Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com – Fortuna’s McKenzie Emmons, left, and Eureka’s Kellina Pratton.

By Ray Hamill — Wednesday night will be a busy one for anyone trying to keep up with all the local basketball action, with a total of 14 big games on tap, including 12 of them here on the North Coast.

In addition to all the North Coast Section playoff games involving H-DNL teams, both College of the Redwoods teams will be playing for a conference championship.

The CR men have already claimed at least a co-championship but will be looking to secure the title outright and a guaranteed home playoff game with a victory over Shasta.

The CR women, meanwhile, can claim at least a share of the GVC title with a win over Shasta, which would end a 40-year championship drought.

The men tip off at 5 p.m., followed by the women at 7.

The two CR teams have been well supported all season by an enthusiastic community and hopefully that will continue to be the case on Wednesday on what will be one of the biggest nights in the history of CR basketball.

Both teams, however, have plenty of competition for fans with 10 local NCS playoff games scheduled for the same evening.

There will be playoff doubleheaders at Ferndale, South Fork and St. Bernard’s, with the girls teams getting the action started at each location at 5:30 p.m., followed by the boys at 7.

And that’s not all.

The Arcata and Del Norte boys will each also host games at 7 p.m., as will the Eureka boys, who will be playing their first home playoff game in 11 years.

And rounding out a busy, busy night of action here on the North Coast, the Fortuna girls will open their playoff campaign at home to Terra Linda, also at 7.

The McKinleyville and Del Norte girls each will also be in action, opening on the road in the Bay Area.

Enjoy the action whatever game(s) you decide to take in.