Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com – Friday night’s H-DNL basketball games were played behind closed doors, including the game between Eureka and Fortuna at Jay Willard Gymnasium.

By Ray Hamill — There were games in the Big 5 and the Little 4 on Friday night, but no spectators were in attendance at any of them as the H-DNL begins a 16-day spell of playing games behind closed doors.

The league announced the decision earlier this week because of COVID concerns and the no spectators mandate will run through Jan 23.

While it was strange playing without fans, the league schedule still went ahead with some key matchups.

In girls action, the Eureka Loggers improved to 2-0 in the Big 5 with a 37-29 win over Fortuna at Eureka High.

Both teams were missing some key starters for the game, but that didn’t slow down either team’s defense in what was a tight game for much of the night.

At St. Bernard’s, the Crusaders got their Little 4 campaign off to a wining start with a 60-43 victory over Hoopa, as both teams returned to action after a few weeks off.

A scheduled Big 5 showdown between the McKinleyville and Arcata girls was postponed and will now be played on Jan 17.

In boys action, the South Fork Cubs got the Little 4 off to a winning start with a 46-40 win over Ferndale.