Photos by Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com – McKinleyville’s Brayden Craven in action against Montgomery on Thursday.

The Arcata boys won their own tournament opener against a young Red Bluff team on Thursday night, rolling out to a comprehensive 66-25 victory.

The win keeps the Tigers unbeaten through five games and they were able to carry the momentum from last weekend’s tournament championship at McKinleyville.

“We had a good week of practice and the guys didn’t sit on their laurels from last week,” head coach Kellen Maynard said. “We came out with the right mindset.”

Kai Purcell scored a game-high 19 points in the win, while teammate Brandon Bento-Jackson added 12 points and Shane Purcell nine.

The Tigers will continue tourney play in the winners bracket on Friday night at 8 p.m.

St. Bernard’s 69, Lassen 41

Drew Vizenor led another balanced scoring performance by the Crusaders with 16 points on Thursday, as they cruised to a comfortable win over Lassen at the Mt. Shasta tournament.

Seth Dyer added 15 points and Peyton Smith 13 as the St. Bernard’s boys improved to 4-0 on the season.

Owen Shanahan also had a good night with eight points while Dominic Kofi and Deshaun Bailey each scored five.

The SB boys will now play the host school on Friday night at 8:30 p.m.

McKinleyville’s Jordan Brown

Montgomery 57, McKinleyville 49

The Panthers dropped their opening game at the Arcata tournament on Thursday, falling by eight points to Montgomery.

Owen Hamm had his best all-around game of the young season in the loss, finishing with a game-high 19 points and adding some strong defense at the other end of the court.

“Our intensity was a little better, but we’re still not quite executing our offense long enough to get the shots that are open,” head coach Cindy Semore Clancy said. “We’re still forcing shots and that’s one thing we have to work on.”

Cody Whitmer added 16 points for the Panthers, who dropped to 1-3 on the season, while Jordan Brown chipped in nine points.

“I applaud the players for their effort and intensity,” Semore Clancy added.

Nicholas Ausiello scored 18 points to lead the Vikings, who improved to 6-1, while teammate Nolan Bessire added 17.

The Panthers continue tourney play against Eureka on Friday at 3:30 p.m.

Action from the McKinleyville and Montgomery game on Thursday.

Eureka’s Jordan Urban in action against Piner on Thursday.

Piner 59, Eureka 49

The Loggers were unable to overcome a slow start in their Arcata tourney opener on Thursday, falling to Piner by 10.

Hans Chalmers scored a team-high 13 points in the loss, while Jordan Urban chipped in 12 points with an impressive showing off the bench.

“I thought we came out a little flat in the first half,” head coach Jimmy Rodgers said. “We picked up the intensity in the second half and definitely played a better game in the second half. But it was one of those games where we had some open looks but nothing fell.”

Caden Vance added 11 points for Eureka, which dropped to 1-6.

The Loggers continue tourney play against McKinleyville on Friday at 3:30 p.m.

Eureka’s Evan Hodges

Ferndale 62, Hayfork 52

The Wildcats overcame a slow start with a big second half on the way to a 10-point win in their Trinity tournament opener on Thursday.

Jack Westfall scored a team-high 20 points and added several rebounds with a big defensive performance.

Thomas Ferguson scored 13 points and was, according to head coach Tristen Waters, “a great floor general for the team.”

The ever-consistent Kannon Christiansen also continued to impress, finishing with 12 points and grabbing numerous boards with another outstanding interior defensive performance.

The Cats went on a 25-7 run in the third quarter to take control of the game.

“The team had to get a wake-up call,” Waters said. “We definitely outplayed them on every level in the second half.”

The Cats improved to 3-2 with the win and will continue tourney play on Friday.

TUESDAY

Del Norte 42, Grants Pass 38

The Warriors improved to 3-1 on the season with a clutch win over Grants Pass on Tuesday night.

Trailing by two points with 45 seconds remaining in the game, Del Norte tied things up on a pair of Nani Scott free throws.

They then followed that with a big defensive stand and forced a turnover with seven seconds remaining.

Wyatt Robson then made one of two free throws to give his team the lead, before pulling down the rebound after his second attempt and nailing a 3-pointer as time expired.

Ethan Thomas also had a big night on the boards for the Warriors, who don’t play again until next week.