Submitted photo – The Ferndale Wildcats are now 5-3 on the season.

By Ray Hamill — The Ferndale Wildcats got a close look at what to expect from at least one of their Little 4 opponents this year at the Trinity Holiday Classic over the weekend.

The Cats faced off against Hoopa in boys basketball on Saturday morning, barely falling 61-60 in a game that went right down to the wire.

Like many local teams early this season, Ferndale was missing some key personnel for the tournament because of sickness.

But when they’ve been healthy, the Cats have looked well capable of making some noise in this year’s Little 4, including an impressive tournament championship at Point Arena the previous week.

“I love our chances in league with a healthy team, I really do,” head coach Tristan Waters said. “Before we all got sick, our defense was incredible. You could tell they were just sloppy (at Trinity) due to being lethargic.”

Jack Westfall, who missed the tournament opener, scored a team-high 17 points against Hoopa and did a good job distributing the ball, while teammate Kannon Christiansen finished with a double-double, scoring 14 points and pulling down 10 rebounds.

“He was dominant on the boards,” Waters said of the latter.

Thomas Fergison added 11 points and gives the Cats an outside threat.

Ferndale will try to bounce back against Anderson Valley on Tuesday night (Dec 13) before opening play at he South Fork tournament later in the week.