Photos by Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com – St. Bernard’s Madelyn Shanahan

By Ray Hamill — Heading into the final night of league play, there is still plenty to be decided in H-DN basketball when it comes to Dick Niclai Tournament seeds and automatic North Coast Section playoff berths.

Both the Big 5 and Little 4 championships have yet to be determined.

Ferndale will host St. Bernard’s in a true Little 4 championship game on Friday night with both teams deadlocked in the standings with identical 4-1 records.

The winner will receive the league’s top seed for next week’s Niclai tournament and a first-round bye, as well as an automatic NCS postseason spot.

The loser of that game will receive the No. 2 seed for the Niclai tournament and will host No. 3 Hoopa in the opening round.

The Warriors secured third place in league with their upset win over St. Bernard’s on Senior Night on Wednesday.

There is plenty still to be decided in the Big 5 as well.

The league-leading Eureka Loggers clinched at least a share of the title with a 53-48 win at Arcata on Wednesday, but the Del Norte Warriors remain in the hunt after their 44-26 win at Fortuna.

The final round of games sees Del Norte host Arcata on Friday night, while Eureka faces a difficult challenge at McKinleyville.

If the Loggers win, they will be crowned outright league champs regardless of what happens in the other game and will receive a No. 1 seed for the Niclai tournament and an automatic NCS playoff spot.

If, however, they should lose, then Del Norte can claim a share of the championship with a win over Arcata.

Ferndale’s Carly Carmesin scored a game-high 30 points against South Fork on Wednesday.

If there is a tie for the championship, the two teams will face off in a playoff game on Monday at Del Norte, with the home court having been decided by a coin toss.

The McKinleyville girls, meanwhile, are guaranteed at least third place in the Big 5 and still have a shot at finishing in a tie for second, if they can beat Eureka and Arcata can get the better of Del Norte.

If that’s the case, then the Panthers would host the opening-round game of the Niclai tournament against Del Norte on Tuesday, courtesy of a coin toss.