Photos by Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com – South Fork’s Shawnessy Conway-O’Neill in action at Ferndale on Wednesday night.

By Ray Hamill — Ferndale girls basketball head coach Terra Albee has paid tribute to the South Fork Cubs for their performance in Wednesday’s NCS semifinal.

The Wildcats won the game 57-48 to qualify for Saturday’s Division-6 decider, but the Cubs battled back in the second half and earned the admiration of the opposing coach.

And she believes they played inspired for teammate Raelyn Hawkins, who is battling cancer.

“I’m really proud of South Fork,” Albee said. “They came out and they really wanted to win for their teammate. They never gave up and they put in a really good effort.”

Both teams lined up together before the game wearing t-shirts that read“Cats and Cubs Unite” on the front, and “#RAESTRONG” on the back, all in a touching show of support for Hawkins.

While the Cats get set for Saturday’s big game against Cornerstone Christian, the Cubs will now turn their attention to next week’s NorCal tournament and they should carry some momentum into their opening game after Wednesday’s inspired performance.

The NorCal brackets will be announced on Sunday.