Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com – Arcata’s Grace Talty, rights defends McKinleyville’s Kim Lewis in a game earlier4 this week.

By Ray Hamill — You know it was a good week for local sports when we name four different Humboldt Sports Athletes of the Week, sponsored by College of the Redwood Athletics.

And it was a particularly impressive week for a few Arcata Tigers, as well as one Fortuna Husky and a Eureka team that ended a long drought.

Sisters Grace and Nora Talty might have seen their Big 5 championship ambitions evaporate when the Arcata girls basketball team lost to Eureka on Thursday night, but that doesn’t take from the outstanding season both players are enjoying, and that earns them some recognition as two of our athletes of the week.

And they weren’t the only local athletes to impress this week.

Another Arcata Tiger, Josh Hannan, also had a big week win the wrestling mats, while Jordin Bourne can’t stop scoring for the Fortuna boys basketball team.

Our team of the week honors, meanwhile, goes to the Eureka girls basketball team, which ended a long drought for the program by clinching a Big 5 championship on Thursday night.

Nora Talty

ATHLETES OF THE WEEK

Grace Talty

Senior, Arcata Basketball

Nora Talty 

Sophomore, Arcata Basketball

The Talty sisters have been instrumental in the Tigers’ success this season and have been a force at both ends of the court.

Grace has, according to head coach Doug Oliveira, been playing like a senior leader and setting the tone on a young Tigers roster, while the younger Nora has quickly established herself as one of the top players in the Big 5.

The talented duo helped the Tigers win four straight games before losing on Thursday at Eureka.

For more on the Talty sisters and the Arcata girls, see Tigers keep their Big 5 hopes alive with another win over Mack …

Submitted photo

Josh Hannan

Junior, Arcata Wrestling

Although just a junior, Hannan has quickly become arguably the top wrestler on the North Coast, and is coming off a hugely successful weekend at the prestigious MidCals tournament in Gilroy this past weekend.

Hannan knocked off a pair top-20 state wrestlers on his way to placing third in the 126-pound bracket and head coach Cass Bell is confident the Tigers standout will compete for a section title and more this year.

For more on his big week, see Hard work and family support paying off for Hannan, Tigers …

Jordin Bourne

Senior, Fortuna Basketball

Bourne is enjoying a phenomenal run for the Huskies and can’t stop scoring for them at the moment.

The senior guard scored 28 points in each of his past two games and has 81 points in his past three games, while playing a key role in leading Fortuna to a first league win on Wednesday.

For more on Bourne’s big week, see our Boys Basketball Roundup …

TEAM OF THE WEEK

Eureka Girls Basketball

The Loggers clinched a league championship on Thursday, the first outright for the team in at least 20 years.

No other local team has the depth that this year’s Eureka roster features and head coach Mike Harvey and his assistants have done a good job guiding the Loggers to success.

The league title is the first of three goals for the team this season, and the Loggers want to follow this by defending the Dick Niclai tournament championship they won in dramatic circumstances in 2020, and then play deep into the playoffs.

Thursday’s win guarantees them a home playoff game as well.

McKenna Beach has led the way on this year’s team, but several others have played a pivotal role, including Kira Morris, Aniah Gaither, Mariah Napoleon, Payton Goodman, Claire Maples, Amaya Gee, Amaya Watson, Ellie Pesch, Moriah Bowles, Isis Poteet and Raymi Sharp.

For more on their big week, see Champions! – Eureka girls top Arcata to clinch the Big 5 …